House Democrats succeeded in stopping a GOP-led resolution to censure Rep. LaMonica McIver, who is facing prosecution from the Trump administration following a scuffle with immigration officers in May.
Five Republicans voted with Democrats on Wednesday to table the resolution, and two others voted present, in a 215-207 vote. The resolution to censure McIver was introduced by Rep. Clay Higgins, and it would have removed her from the House Homeland Security Committee, which oversees U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark directed Democrats to support a motion to table the measure on the House floor during a morning caucus meeting, according to a source in the room. The caucus has been united behind McIver, with leadership encouraging members to mirror her statements concerning her prosecution, one member told NOTUS in June.
But it was unclear how many Republicans would line up with Democrats. Ultimately, five Republicans — Reps. Don Bacon, Mike Flood, Dave Joyce, Mike Turner and David Valadao — joined Democrats to block Higgins’ resolution. Reps. Andrew Garbarino and Nathaniel Moran voted present.
Following the vote, a spokesperson for Turner told NOTUS that the congressman “supports removing Rep. LaMonica McIver from the Homeland Security Committee. He intended to vote no to table and submitted a correction immediately.” While Turner can make a motion to put in the record that he intended to vote differently, the final tally cannot change since the correction was submitted after the vote closed.
Higgins in July announced his plans to force a vote. The federal government charged McIver for allegedly assaulting an ICE officer, but that litigation is ongoing and no verdict has been reached.
The resolution was “pathetic,” McIver told reporters before the vote. “Rep. Higgins is a pathetic individual, and he’s a coward and he’s a bigot.”
“At the end of the day, it’s not going to stop me from doing my job. Doesn’t matter if they strip me, if they censor me, I’m going to continue to provide oversight for the job that the people of [New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District] elected me to do,” McIver continued.
Shortly before the vote, Rep. Yvette Clarke, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, which had been leading the opposition to the resolution against McIver, introduced a resolution to censure Rep. Cory Mills for his alleged assaults in an effort to draw a contrast. The measure was not brought to a vote after Higgins’ resolution failed to advance to a final vote.
Democrats have accused the Trump administration of going after McIver for political reasons. In a recent court filing the lawmaker accused the federal government of selective prosecution, with her attorneys arguing that since cases of Jan. 6 rioters who were charged for violating the same law were dismissed, her case should be dismissed as well.
The Trump administration “cannot pursue charges against her because she is a Democrat who conducts oversight of Executive Branch immigration policy, while dismissing charges brought under the same statute against those whose views they share and who engaged in conduct far more egregious,” McIver’s attorneys said in the filing.
McIver’s prosecution has inspired multiple House Democrats to start taking out liability insurance in case they are targeted by the Trump administration for openly opposing President Donald Trump’s policies.
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Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.