Federal Judge Allows DOJ to Proceed with Assault Case Against Democrat
24/09/2025 15:49
Following her detention and assault charges for “forcible impeding and interfering with federal officers” while visiting a U.S. location, the lawmaker had sought to have her case dismissed earlier this year in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in New Jersey.
Congresswoman McIver asserted that her acts were “protected by the Constitution’s protection against arrest or prosecution while engaged in legislative business” and that they were “part of her lawful oversight duties as a member of Congress.”
The judge said Representative McIver could not claim legislative immunity for all her actions, though he found one of the charges against her to be covered under Congress’ “Speech and Debate” privilege. The congresswoman did not prove that the prosecution by President Trump’s administration is “vindictive,” according to Judge Semper.
Several posts on X made by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) referencing a May incident at the Delaney Hall immigrant detention center in New Jersey, in which U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver was charged with assaulting federal immigration officers, have been removed following an order from Biden-appointed U.S. District Judge Jamel Semper.
McIver (D-N.J.) was charged with assaulting federal immigration officers during a congressional visit to the Delaney Hall immigrant detention center in Newark. She has pleaded not guilty and faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted.
McIver argued that the charges violate the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause and are politically motivated, though she was seen on video physically pushing and striking a federal ICE agent.
After the May incident, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued several statements and social media posts criticizing Rep. McIver and other Democratic lawmakers who visited the Delaney Hall facility that day.
In response, McIver’s legal team filed a motion seeking to prohibit the government from making what they described as “extrajudicial statements” that could prejudice the ongoing legal proceedings, according to the New Jersey Globe. The motion cited eight posts on X and one official press release as examples, Newsweek reported.
“As of this afternoon, the posts referenced in Defense Exhibits N through U have been removed,” U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche noted in a legal filing dated October 30, Newsweek reported. “The post referenced in Defense Exhibit V, however, remains available on X.com, as it appears to be controlled by a journalist and private citizen, and the Government lacks the authority to remove the post.”
The development follows a hearing held on October 21, during which Judge Semper heard arguments from both the Department of Justice and McIver’s legal team. At that time, the court directed the government to remove the posts and provide an update within a week.
However, eight days later, the Department of Justice had not complied, according to a November 6 letter from McIver’s attorney, Lee Cortes, to the judge, Newsweek added.
” … [E]ven with the additional time, DHS again has failed to remove all of the public statements that Congresswoman McIver brought to the government’s and the Court’s attention,” Cortes wrote in the letter.
Cortes went on to ask the court to issue sanctions if the DHS were to post such statements about McIver again.
“DHS has slow-walked the removal of clearly prejudicial statements, issued new ones, and continued to maintain others on its website. Without a further order from the Court, Congresswoman McIver will be forced to continue ‘play[ing] Whac-A-Mole’ with ‘government officials’…saying things that have absolutely no connection to the indictment,” Cortes noted, according to Newsweek.
One of the posts from DHS that was removed stated: “Delaney Hall Detention Center houses the WORST OF THE WORST! This stunt by sanctuary lawmakers puts the safety of our law enforcement agents and detainees at risk.”
Another post referenced McIver: “What happened on May 9 at Delaney Hall was not oversight. It was a political stunt that put the safety of our law enforcement agents, our staff, and our detainees at risk. This behavior was lawless, and it was beneath this body. Members of Congress are not above the law.”
The Department of Justice may proceed with its prosecution against New Jersey Democratic Rep. Lamonica McIver, according to a decision made by U.S. District Judge Jamel Semper.
Breaking: Barack Obama Just Confirmed in Washington, D.C. — Details Emerging
In a development that is quickly drawing attention across the country, Barack Obama has just been confirmed in an announcement made in Washington, D.C., according to early reports. The confirmation, which occurred only moments ago, has sparked widespread interest as officials and observers wait for more details about the situation.
Initial information suggests that the announcement was made during a briefing in the nation’s capital, where officials confirmed the update involving the former president. While the full context of the confirmation is still unfolding, the news has already begun circulating rapidly through political circles and media outlets.
Barack Obama, who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017, remains one of the most influential po
litical figures in modern American politics. Any official confirmation involving him tends to generate immediate public and media attention, both domestically and internationally.
Sources close to the situation say additional statements may be released soon, which could clarify the nature of the confirmation and what it could mean moving forward. Analysts are already speculating about possible implications, though officials have urged the public to wait for verified information.
For now, the announcement from Washington, D.C. marks a developing story. More updates are expected as authorities and representatives provide further details in the coming hours.
In a dramatic new court filing, Ghislaine Maxwell has claimed that at least 25 alleged accomplices connected to Jeffrey Epstein quietly reached “secret settlements” related to abuse allegations — yet were never criminally charged.
The filing, submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, argues that newly discovered evidence reveals previously undisclosed agreements between plaintiff attorneys and multiple men who, according to Maxwell, could be considered co-conspirators in Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation.
“New evidence reveals that there were 25 men with whom the plaintiff lawyers reached secret settlements — that could equally be considered as co-conspirators,” Maxwell wrote in documents filed without the assistance of her legal team.
Maxwell, 63, is currently serving a 20-year federal sentence following her 2021 conviction on sex trafficking charges. In her latest submission, she maintains that prosecutors failed to disclose crucial information that could have altered the outcome of her trial.
“None of these men have been prosecuted and none has been revealed to me,” Maxwell wrote. “Had I known, I would have called them as witnesses.”
She further contends that the alleged concealment of these settlements — along with what she describes as jury bias — deprived her of a fair trial. According to Maxwell, if jurors had been informed of what she characterizes as “collusion” between government officials and civil attorneys, they may have reached a different verdict.
The filing also claims that four former employees of Epstein were referenced in both a prior non-prosecution agreement and the federal indictment he faced before his death in 2019, yet none of those individuals were ultimately charged.
The possibility that additional accomplices remain unidentified has reignited public scrutiny surrounding the Epstein case. Questions persist about whether the names of those who allegedly reached private settlements will ever be fully disclosed — particularly as federal authorities continue reviewing millions of pages of case-related documents.
To date, only Epstein and Maxwell have faced federal criminal charges directly tied to the sex-trafficking network. Others associated with Epstein have confronted civil lawsuits but have denied wrongdoing.
Among the most high-profile figures accused in civil proceedings was Prince Andrew, who was sued by Virginia Giuffre over allegations of sexual abuse when she was a minor. Prince Andrew has consistently denied the claims and later reached a financial settlement without admitting liability.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice has confirmed that hundreds of attorneys are reviewing an estimated 5.2 million pages of documents connected to the Epstein investigation. Officials say the review process is complex and requires extensive redactions to protect victims’ identities.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated in December that the review is an “all-hands-on-deck” effort, emphasizing that victim protection remains a top priority even as pressure mounts for greater transparency.
It remains unclear whether the 25 men referenced in Maxwell’s filing negotiated any agreements with federal prosecutors or whether their settlements were strictly civil in nature. Legal experts note that civil settlements do not automatically shield individuals from criminal liability — though non-prosecution agreements can.
Maxwell’s filing is widely viewed as part of her broader legal strategy to challenge her conviction. Whether the court will grant further hearings or consider the alleged new evidence remains to be seen.
The renewed claims have once again thrust the Epstein scandal into the national spotlight, raising persistent questions about accountability, transparency, and whether all those involved in the long-running abuse network have truly been brought to justice.
As document reviews continue and appeals move forward, the case remains one of the most controversial and closely watched criminal sagas in recent American history.