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DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin addressed the incident in an interview with Fox News, emphasizing that members of Congress are not above the law. “Just because you are a member of Congress or just because you’re a public official, does not mean you are above the law. If you assault a law enforcement officer, we will also make sure you answer to justice,” McLaughlin stated. “So, I think that arrests are still on the table for this. This is an ongoing investigation.”
McLaughlin also pointed out that ordinary American citizens would face severe consequences for similar behavior, stating, “If it was a typical U.S. citizen, and they tried to storm into a detention facility that’s housing dangerous criminals or any person at all, they would be arrested.”
The incident has drawn comparisons to the prosecution of January 6 defendants, many of whom received lengthy prison sentences for allegedly assaulting federal officers during the Capitol protests. One such figure, former NYPD officer Thomas Webster, received a 10-year federal prison sentence for shoving a police officer during the unrest, despite having no prior criminal record.
Adam Christian Johnson, a former January 6 defendant, also weighed in on the situation, criticizing what he sees as a double standard in how political figures are treated. “United States Representative LaMonica McIver has still not been arrested after assaulting multiple federal officers on video,” Johnson said. He recounted his own experience, stating, “Within 48 hours of smiling and waving in the Capitol on J6, I was in county jail isolation under 24-hour supervision, charged with 3 crimes, 2 were lies, the other debatable. They put me in an ankle monitor and told me I was a danger to my community. Meanwhile, this animal is still collecting a paycheck from our tax dollars.”
Following the incident, McIver attempted to downplay the bodycam footage, claiming she was the one attacked and “manhandled” by federal agents. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was also detained, was released after five hours and formally charged with trespassing. Baraka’s legal team criticized the arrest, arguing that the offense would normally be resolved with a ticket rather than an arrest.
“They did this on a charge of trespass, a municipal charge which would normally be handled by way of a ticket,” Baraka’s attorneys stated in a release provided to Fox News. “His subsequent release by the court demonstrates that there was no reason to believe that this well-known and widely respected public official was either a flight risk or a danger to the community that he served.”
As of now, the Department of Homeland Security has not indicated whether McIver or any of the other lawmakers involved will face federal charges, but pressure is mounting for further action as public scrutiny intensifies.
