Representative Ramonica McQuiver (D-NJ) has accused President Donald Trump of using the Department of Justice (DOJ) as a tool against her while facing potential federal prison time related to an incident at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility.
After pleading not guilty to the federal charges in a New Jersey courtroom, McQuiver addressed her supporters, claiming that the accusations are merely an example of a weaponized federal government.
“I’m not guilty, and that’s why I pleaded not guilty. We’re fighting this,” McQuiver stated to the audience. “Ultimately, this is about political intimidation,” she added.
The Trump administration and its associates have weaponized the federal government… The DOJ is used against anyone who opposes or criticizes them; that’s why I’m in this situation now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ombkwtu9uma
McQuiver explained that she was conducting an oversight visit on May 9 at ICE’s Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey, when she was filmed walking through a gate and confronting the cameras.
“I went to Delaney Hall for an oversight visit. Council members have the right to hold agencies accountable,” she said. “We weren’t there to protest; we needed to ensure that the facility met standards and that detainees were treated fairly. This incident arose from that.”
“We don’t support that. I don’t support that,” she went on.
McQuiver, along with lawmakers Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), was outside Delaney Hall to oversee Congress during a time when protests by Open Borders activists were also occurring, according to federal charges against her.
The allegations suggest that McQuiver attempted to impede the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D), who reportedly resisted leaving a secure area of the detention center.
She faces charges of forcibly obstructing federal officers from doing their job while trying to assist outside the Delaney Hall Detention Center. If convicted, she could face over a decade in prison, with a trial likely coming up in November.
