House fails to censure LaMonica McIver in shock vote
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Rep. LaMonica McIver speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on June 25. Photo: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
House Democrats, with help from more than half a dozen Republicans, succeeded in killing a motion to censure Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) for clashing with ICE officers in April.
Why it matters: McIver is being prosecuted by the Justice Department on charges of assaulting law enforcement, but she has denied wrongdoing and alleged that both the charges and the censure measure are purely political.
- "If House Republicans think they can make me run scared, they're wrong," McIver said in a statement on Tuesday after Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) forced a vote on the censure measure.
- "We were all elected to do the people's work," she said. "I take that responsibility seriously—Clay Higgins clearly does not."
Driving the news: The House voted 215 to 207 to table — kill — the censure resolution, which alleges that McIver's actions "do not reflect creditably on the House."
- The measure says that serving on the Homeland Security Committee is a "significant conflict of interest" for McIver because the panel oversees ICE.
- Five House Republicans sided with Democrats in voting to table the resolution, with two voting "present."
- The resolution was forced to a vote by Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) through a mechanism that allowed him to circumvent GOP leadership.
Between the lines: Several of the Republican members who voted to table or voted "present" are members of the House Ethics Committee, including Reps. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio) and Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.).
- The panel is currently investigating McIver — a move it is required to take whenever a House member is indicted.
- Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told Axios he voted with Democrats to table the measure because "I think best to let Ethics Committee finish its report."
Zoom out: The charges and the censure attempt stem from an incident in which McIver and several Democratic colleagues clashed with ICE officers outside the Delany Hall detention facility in Newark.
- The lawmakers attempted to perform an oversight visit of the privately operated migrant detention center, but were initially denied access.
- Federal prosecutors have alleged that McIver elbowed an officer as law enforcement moved to arrest Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, but McIver has said she was the one who was assaulted in the scuffle.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
