Democrats accuse Trump administration of weaponizing legislation enforcement to silence political foes

Rep. Eric Swalwell isn’t any stranger to preventing authorized battles. Swalwell, in his seventh time period as a Democrat representing the Bay Space of California, served as an impeachment supervisor in President Trump’s first impeachment trial in 2020. Swalwell can also be the plaintiff in a four-year civil lawsuit looking for damages from Mr. Trump for the U.S. Capitol rebellion on Jan. 6, 2021.  

However Swalwell, an legal professional and former native prosecutor in Alameda County, is so involved about authorized peril through the second Trump time period, he has taken out a legal responsibility insurance coverage coverage to guard himself. Swalwell confirmed he had executed so in a textual content message to CBS Information. 

In a social media put up final month, Swalwell accused the Trump administration of focusing on Democratic legislators like his colleague, New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver, who was charged with assaulting legislation enforcement officers at an immigration detention middle. 

Swalwell — who has not been charged with a criminal offense — wrote on X, “A RED LINE has been crossed. Trump is prosecuting his political enemies in Congress. That is only the start. We should take no matter we have executed earlier than to point out dissent and go one rung increased.”

Final week’s handcuffing of Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat who was forcibly eliminated from a information convention and briefly cuffed by federal brokers after publicly questioning Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem, has raised criticisms that the Trump administration has damaged norms — and escalated tensions — by permitting federal legislation enforcement to arrest or detain elected officers who dissent.

The Padilla incident occurred weeks after the arrests of McIver and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, additionally a Democrat, after a Might 9 confrontation with federal brokers exterior the Delaney Corridor immigration facility in Newark. Prosecutors dropped the case towards Baraka, however McIver faces felony expenses and the prospect of a multi-year jail sentence if convicted. She has pleaded not responsible. 

Prosecutors allege McIver struck brokers along with her arms through the incident. The Division of Homeland Safety accused the elected officers of “breaking into” the detention middle.

McIver responded to her indictment in a press release that mentioned, “The information of this case will show I used to be merely doing my job and can expose these proceedings for what they’re: a brazen try at political intimidation.”

Within the newest incident, New York Metropolis Comptroller Brad Lander, a Democrat operating for mayor, was detained by immigration brokers Tuesday at a Manhattan courthouse.

In a sequence of occasions captured on video, Lander was seen holding onto a person, whom he recognized as Edgardo, following the person’s immigration listening to. Video then confirmed masked immigration brokers attempting to take the person into custody, after which taking Lander into custody as he requested to see a warrant.

Federal legislation enforcement officers mentioned Lander was arrested “for assaulting legislation enforcement and impeding a federal officer.” 

He was launched 4 hours later, together with his spouse and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul by his facet. No expenses have been filed towards him.

The sequence of arrests started with the case of Hannah Dugan in April. Dugan, an elected Wisconsin circuit court docket choose, has pleaded not responsible to expenses of obstructing federal brokers, for allegedly rerouting a felony defendant from her courtroom to keep away from immigration brokers. Dugan’s July 21 trial date was delayed Wednesday, as a choose considers a movement from Dugan to dismiss the case.

Raskin alleges “strong-arm techniques” to “silence and intimidate”

The arrests, detentions and handcuffings are inflaming an already poisonous political second and supercharging complaints by Democrats that Mr. Trump is looking for to make use of legislation enforcement powers to subdue his opposition.

“Trump and his enforcers need to handcuff and jail members of the legislative department who carry out oversight,” mentioned Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat who’s the rating member of the Home Judiciary Committee. 

Raskin instructed CBS Information, “These strong-arm techniques are supposed to silence and intimidate folks, however they solely strengthen our conviction.”

In a press release to CBS Information, a White Home spokeswoman mentioned, “This is the actual story: why achieve this many Democrat officers really feel emboldened to openly break the legislation after which complain when they’re held accountable?”

“It is alarming Democrats assume they will hinder federal legislation enforcement, assault ICE brokers, or bodily push legislation enforcement officers whereas charging a cupboard secretary, with out consequence — it is much more alarming that the media is encouraging and defending this lawless habits,” the spokesperson mentioned.

After his case was dismissed, Baraka filed a civil swimsuit towards the U.S. Lawyer for New Jersey, Alina Habba, who not solely filed the felony case, however posted about Baraka’s arrest on social media. The lawsuit accuses Habba of defamation and seeks damages for what it calls “false arrest and malicious prosecution.”

The felony circumstances are a burden to public officers, who should pay authorized prices and expend time on court docket hearings. Protection attorneys for McIver famous she has juggled preliminary proceedings in her case in Newark along with her duties within the U.S. Capitol, throughout a busy month within the Home because the Might 9 incident. 

In her submitting to dismiss her obstruction case, Dugan argued the Justice Division was violating separation of powers and unlawfully exceeding its authority. “The federal government’s prosecution right here reaches straight right into a state courthouse, disrupting energetic proceedings, and interferes with the official duties of an elected choose,” she argued.  

The authorized battles are separate from the political acrimony that has been fueled by the bodily confrontations, together with the handcuffing of Padilla final week — which the Division of Homeland Safety claims occurred after Padilla “lunged towards” Noem. 

In a tearful ground speech Tuesday, Padilla requested, “What number of People within the 12 months 2025 see a vindictive president on a tour of retribution?”   

As a part of her assertion to CBS Information, the White Home spokeswoman mentioned, “Democrats are disingenuously characterizing their habits with the assistance of the Pretend Information media. And we sit up for CBS’s protection of Democrat smears towards legislation enforcement officers, together with evaluating them to Nazis, resulting in a 413% enhance in assaults towards ICE officers.”

As for Swalwell, he is not the one congressional Democrat to hunt out legal responsibility insurance coverage to guard his authorized future. In response to a report final week by the NOTUS digital information outlet, a number of Democrats have executed the identical.

In response to the report in NOTUS, one unnamed Home Democrat mentioned, “That is simply, sadly, the character of the job proper now and it is horrible.”