Democrats have denounced the charges as politically motivated and an effort by the Trump administration to intimidate members of Congress and chill oversight.

Democratic strategist James Carville claimed on Tuesday that race was the major factor in charging Democratic New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver for allegedly assaulting federal officers outside an ICE facility.

Prosecuting McIver is a rare federal criminal case against a sitting member of Congress for allegations other than fraud or corruption.

The Trump administration is investigating former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and pressing charges against a New Jersey congresswoman, leveraging its control over the criminal justice system to pursue Democratic rivals.

Federal prosecutors allege Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver pushed and grabbed officers while attempting to block the arrest of the Newark mayor.

Former Obama-era White House ethics lawyer Norm Eisen called the criminal charge against Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) “absurd” and predicted it would “not stand” up in court. “We’ve all seen that