Rep. Nancy Mace (R., S.C.) on Wednesday introduced a resolution to expel Rep. LaMonica McIver (D., N.J.) from the House after the Justice Department charged the first-term Democrat with assaulting a federal officer during a confrontation outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility earlier this month. The charges stem from a May 9 incident at Delaney Hall in Newark, where McIver and other lawmakers were conducting a site visit.
"McIver didn't just break the law, she attacked the very people who defend it," Mace said in a press release. "Attacking Homeland Security and ICE agents isn't just disgraceful, it's assault. If any other American did what she did, they'd be in handcuffs."
McIver has denied the allegations, calling the prosecution "purely political." In a statement on X, she wrote, "In the South I think they say, 'bless her heart.'" At a Wednesday hearing, McIver stated she was exercising her oversight responsibilities as a member of Congress. "The criminal charge against Congresswoman LaMonica McIver is extreme, morally bankrupt and lacks any basis in law or fact," House Democratic leadership said in a joint statement. "An attack on one of us is an attack on the American people."
The Justice Department has charged McIver with two counts of assaulting, resisting, and impeding an officer, each carrying a potential sentence of up to eight years. A two-minute video reviewed by investigators shows McIver moving through a gate and into a crowd of officers and protesters. At one point, her elbows press against an officer in a tightly packed scene, though it remains unclear whether the contact was intentional or incidental.
"In a time when public trust in government is at a historic low, the House must act decisively," Mace said. "The evidence is clear. The charges are serious. And the public deserves to know that criminal conduct in the halls of Congress has consequences."
While Mace has filed the resolution, she has not yet forced a floor vote. Instead, the measure is being referred to the House Ethics Committee. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) said last week that expulsion was "not likely," citing the high bar of a two-thirds vote but confirmed that Republicans were evaluating "what is appropriate."
The expulsion effort comes amid broader Republican criticism of McIver and two other New Jersey Democrats-Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez-who were present at the facility. Rep. Buddy Carter (R., Ga.) has filed a separate resolution to remove all three from their committee assignments. Rep. William Timmons (R., S.C.) has introduced a motion to censure McIver and initiate a formal ethics probe.
Mace cited the House's 2023 expulsion of former Rep. George Santos (R., N.Y.), who was removed before being convicted, as precedent. "Democrats in December 2023 set the precedent that we can expel members of Congress who have not been convicted of any crimes," Mace said. "We are using the same tools that they used to punish our members."
McIver was elected to the House in a special election last September following the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. The charges mark one of the rare instances in which a sitting member of Congress faces criminal prosecution for allegations unrelated to fraud or corruption.
