'Truly chilling': House Dem rips MAGA prosecutor after she indicts sitting congresswoman

Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) strongly criticized Alina Habba, the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, for filing criminal charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), calling the move "truly chilling."

The Justice Department announced on Monday that it has filed charges against McIver, accusing her of assaulting law enforcement officers earlier this month at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Newark.

Habba shared the news on the social platform X, stating that McIver is being charged with “assaulting, impeding, and interfering with law enforcement.”

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Reacting to the development during an appearance on MSNBC Monday, Boyle said: "It is chilling. The reason why they're doing this is to shut me and my Democratic colleagues up."

"They're doing it to make us afraid. It's not going to work. If anything, it will only strengthen our resolve. But make no mistake about it, this is not normal," he continued.

The Pennsylvania Democrat called on his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to condemn the development. "This should be a time when every member of Congress speaks out," he said.

Boyle said the action is meant to intimidate lawmakers and discourage them from challenging the Trump administration.

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"They want my colleagues and me to be thinking... if I do my job and push back against this administration — for example, as the ranking member of the Budget Committee, where I am leading the fight against Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' for billionaires," Boyle said.

According to Boyle, the administration is trying to send a message to lawmakers: if they challenge Trump’s policies, the U.S. Attorney in their state might charge them.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement on Monday, Habba said her office had decided to drop trespassing charges against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D), who was arrested on the same day that McIver and two other Democratic members of Congress were at the ICE facility.

"After thorough review, we have chosen to dismiss the misdemeanor trespassing charge against Mayor Baraka in the interest of moving forward," Habba said.

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