Latest news with #BonnieWatsonColeman
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Acting NJ U.S. Attorney Alina Habba says Rep. LaMonica McIver indicted
A grand jury has indicted U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver on charges related to an incident at Delaney Hall in Newark last month, said a social media post by acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba. McIver was at Delaney Hall with Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez to "inspect the treatment of ICE detainees at Delaney Hall." All three are Democrats. The congresswoman said in a statement that the 'facts of this case will prove I was simply doing my job and will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation." 'This indictment is no more justified than the original charges, and is an effort by Trump's administration to dodge accountability for the chaos ICE caused and scare me out of doing the work I was elected to do,' McIver said. 'But it won't work — I will not be intimidated. The facts are on our side, I will be entering a plea of not guilty, I'm grateful for the support of my community, and I look forward to my day in court.' Habba said the federal grand jury 'returned a three-count indictment' against McIver for 'forcibly impeding and interfering with federal law enforcement officers.' 'It is my constitutional obligation as the chief federal law enforcement officer for New Jersey to ensure that our federal partners are protected when executing their duties,' she said. 'While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve.' The three counts have a maximum penalty of eight years for count one, an additional maximum penalty of eight years for count two and a maximum penalty of one year for count three. McIver's lawyer, Paul Fishman, who served as U.S. attorney in New Jersey during the Obama administration, said June 10 that the "legal process will expose this prosecution for what it truly is — political retaliation against a dedicated public servant who refuses to shy away from her oversight responsibilities." Earlier: NJ Rep. LaMonica McIver makes court appearance for assault charges in Newark ICE incident McIver said in a statement on May 19 that she and her colleagues were "fulfilling our lawful oversight responsibilities, as members of Congress have done many times before, and our visit should have been peaceful and short." "Instead, ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation when they chose to arrest Mayor Baraka," she said. "The charges against me are purely political — they mischaracterize and distort my actions, and are meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight." Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested at Delaney Hall on charges of trespassing, but the charges have since been dropped. He is suing Habba alleging 'false arrest and malicious prosecution.' Fishman said in May that the "decision to charge Congresswoman McIver is spectacularly inappropriate." "She went to Delaney Hall to do her job. As a member of Congress, she has the right and responsibility to see how ICE is treating detainees," Fishman said. "Rather than facilitating that inspection, ICE agents chose to escalate what should have been a peaceful situation into chaos. This prosecution is an attempt to shift the blame for ICE's behavior to Congresswoman McIver. In the courtroom, facts — not headlines — will matter." Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@ This article originally appeared on NJ U.S. Attorney Alina Habba: Rep. LaMonica McIver indicted
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fox News Lackey, 25, Is Running Trump's 79th Birthday Parade
A 25-year-old former Fox & Friends producer has been tasked with overseeing President Donald Trump's lavish military parade and putting on an even bigger bash next year: America's 250th birthday. Ariel Abergel graduated from college in 2021, briefly worked at the White House during Trump's first term, and cut his teeth as a young producer on the popular morning show that catapulted the career of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Now, he's the executive director of America250, an initiative that was set up to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4 next year. Ahead of that epic shindig, Abergel is also overseeing Trump's military parade, which takes place on Saturday in Washington, D.C. as the president celebrates his 79th birthday. Abergel's appointment has sparked concerns that America250—which was meant to be a non-political initiative overseen by a bipartisan commission and backed by Congressional spending—has been 'hijacked' by MAGA World to prop up the president. 'It is unfortunate that what was meant to unite the country and honor its history has been twisted into yet another scheme for his own personal gain,' Democrat Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, who is a member of the Commission, said in a statement to the Daily Beast. 'Tomorrow's military parade has little to do with honoring our troops or marking the 250th Anniversary of the Army or our nation's founding—yet it's being run under the banner of America250 without advance notice to, or consent from, the members of the Commission.' According to a new report in The Atlantic, Abergel brought several Trump campaign allies into the fold, including senior adviser Chris LaCivita, events planner Justin Caporale, and fundraiser Meredith O'Rourke. Former Fox contributor Monica Crowley, who is now the U.S. chief of protocol, is the group's media representative. Meanwhile, a list of donors on the America250 website is filled with corporations that have sought to align themselves with Trump, including UFC (run by Trump ally Dana White); Palantir (the tech company co-founded by J.D. Vance benefactor Peter Thiel); and Amazon (headed by Jeff Bezos). And according to The Atlantic, Abergel's operation helped fundraise for the president's speech at Fort Bragg on Tuesday. As tensions flared in Los Angeles over his immigration crackdown, Trump spent part of the speech hitting out at everyone from the 'fake news' media and former president Joe Biden to California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass. Abergel's role at America250 comes on the heels of news that Thomas Fulgate, a 22-year-old college graduate with no previous national security experience, had been appointed to head up a Department of Homeland Security terror prevention team. The Daily Beast reached out to the former Fox & Friends producer and America250 for comment but did not hear back before publication. Trump, however, has previously defended the group's mission as well as his military parade in Washington, which he says will be 'unforgettable.' So too has Crowley, who told Breitbart in an interview: 'This is not simply a military parade. This parade is going to be a tribute to our history. It's going to be a patriotic celebration of the Army's legacy, and it's also going to be a call to inspire the next generation of service-minded Americans.' But as tanks and howitzers roll through the streets of downtown D.C. on Saturday, millions of people are expected to march in cities and towns across the U.S. in a display of defiance against the president and his policies. One campaign, Kick Out the Clowns, will feature activists holding street circuses to highlight what it says is the 'absurdity' of the Trump administration. Another protest, known as No Kings, will seek to push back against authoritarianism in America. 'We're in an existential crisis with respect to our democracy and our Constitution right now, in the face of a wannabe dictator in the White House,' said John Bonifaz, a constitutional lawyer and president of Free Speech for People.
Fox News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Sparks fly between Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Dem Rep. Watson Coleman: 'You should feel shameful'
Sparks flew on Capitol Hill Wednesday as Education Secretary Linda McMahon faced off with Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., in a fiery exchange during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing in the latest clash over the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the Department of Education. The war of words began when Watson Coleman asked, "Do you believe that there is illegal discrimination against people who are Black or brown, and other types of discrimination in jobs and education in this country?" "I think it still exists in some areas," McMahon replied. Watson Coleman pressed further: "Then can you tell me why the Office of Civil Rights and the Department of Education is being decimated?" McMahon responded, "Well, it isn't being decimated. We have reduced the size of it. However, we are taking on a backlog of cases that were left over from the Biden administration." Watson Coleman grew visibly frustrated and accused the administration of racial bias in immigration and education policies, saying its actions amounted to "favoritism and prioritization of white over color." In a blistering rebuke, Watson Coleman said, "Your rhetoric means nothing to me. What means something to me is the actions of this administration. I'm telling you, the Department of Education is one of the most important departments in this country. And you should feel shameful to be engaged with an administration that doesn't give a damn." McMahon, remaining composed, replied, "I am the secretary of Education who has been approved to run this agency by Congress. And I was appointed by the president. And I serve at his pleasure under his mandate. So, therefore, the direction of his administration is what I will follow." The exchange came as part of a larger hearing in which McMahon laid out President Donald Trump's 2026 education budget proposal, which calls for a $12 billion cut to the Education Department, a 15% reduction. McMahon described her work as the department's "final mission": to wind it down and restore education oversight to states, parents and local educators. "Let's focus on literacy. What we're seeing in those scores is a failure of our students to learn to read," McMahon said. "We've lost the fundamentals." Chairman Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., praised McMahon's approach, noting, "Despite $3 trillion in federal education spending since 1980, student achievement has not improved. The answer is not more money. It's more accountability and local control." The plan consolidates 18 federal programs into a single $2 billion block grant to states. Democrats labeled the proposal as a backdoor effort to gut federal support for public schools. On student loans, McMahon said the department has begun recovering repayments after years of Biden-era pauses and confusion. "Since we restarted collections in May, we have recovered nearly $100 million," she said. She also defended staffing cuts and administrative restructuring, stating, "We're delivering on all of our statutory requirements with fewer people and lower overhead." Republicans on the subcommittee shared their support for charter schools and school choice. McMahon, in agreement, pointed to a proposed $60 million increase in charter school funding. "We've got about a million students on charter school waiting lists," she said. "Parents should be deciding where their children can go to school and get the best education." Democrats also criticized McMahon for not defending early childhood education, particularly Head Start, even though the program technically falls under the Department of Health and Human Services. "Every Head Start program in the country has three days of funding. That's not someone else's problem. It's America's children," said Rep. Josh Harder, D-Calif. McMahon responded, "The earlier we can start education, the better, but I don't believe the federal government is responsible for everything. That's where states can lead." The Trump administration also defended its position forcefully outside the hearing room. "On the topic of corruption, let's not forget that the Department of Education was created by President Carter in an attempt to win voters," Savannah Newhouse, Education Department press secretary, said in a statement to Fox News Digital following the exchange. "Since then, we have spent over $3 trillion pretending the department is necessary as student learning outcomes have not improved," she continued. "While the congresswoman from New Jersey basks in her five minutes of fame, the Trump administration is working to improve student outcomes and ensure American families have access to the quality education that they deserve."
Gizmodo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Gizmodo
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Explains Why He Canceled Wife's Newark Flight
There is no war in Ba Sing Se. Under the current administration, what constitutes a bad airport has taken on a whole new meaning. Although Newark Liberty Airport was never anyone's favorite, its series of outages and worker shortages are concerning. But don't worry. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy insists that Newark is perfectly safe. And his decision to change his wife's flight to avoid Newark? Well, Duffy says that was all taken out of context. After an equipment outage on Sunday resulted in a 45-minute ground stop, Duffy went on Meet the Press to do damage control. When asked if it was safe to fly in and out of Newark, Duffy said, 'I fly out of Newark all the time, my family flies out of Newark.' But as Gizmodo previously reported, when appearing on a conservative radio show the next day, Duffy said, 'My wife was flying out of Newark tomorrow. I switched her flight to LaGuardia.' At a House Appropriations Committee meeting yesterday regarding the Department of Transportation's fiscal budget for 2026, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) referenced Duffy's comments. She suggested that Duffy 'diverted [his] wife from Newark airport to LaGuardia out of a sense of security.' 'That's not true. It's partially true,' Duffy, who was testifying at the time, said. Per Politico, Duffy added that his wife was flying to an event. Since Newark has been experiencing severe delays, Duffy moved her flight to LaGuardia 'not for safety but because I needed her flight to fly. She had to get there.' True, Newark has had a lot of delays lately. It's not hard to trace the source either. For example, Sunday's outage resulted in over 250 delays and at least 80 cancellations. Sunday wasn't the only recent outage, though. On April 28, radar screens and radios went dead for 30 seconds, which caused some flight traffic controllers to take trauma leave. Then on May 9, screens went dark again for about 90 seconds. Along with outages, Newark has been dealing with significant staff shortages. Throughout it all, Duffy has pushed blame onto the Biden administration. During yesterday's hearing, Duffy said, 'We didn't have 3,000 controller shortages in the last 100 days. There was four years that came before where nothing was done,' despite warnings from watchdog groups. But per NBC, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association says the number of controllers nationwide rose and remained steady under the Biden administration. Additionally, the former Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, requested additional funding for air traffic controllers last year but was stymied by House Republicans. The Trump administration's onslaught against the DOT, however, is well documented. In February, hundreds of FAA employees were fired amidst Trump's mass layoffs. Although Duffy claimed that no one with a 'critical safety' position was fired, Dave Spero, president of the union representing FAA employees, said, 'All of these people are part of the safety net. The more of them that are not there, the more difficult it becomes to do the actual safety oversight.' Still, Duffy insists that everything is fine. And if it isn't fine, well, it isn't his fault. At yesterday's hearing, Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) pressed Duffy further about flight safety, asking, 'How many departures can you handle without eroding the ability to carry out a safe and effective mission?' 'We are working through some ideas right now on how we can streamline the department,' Duffy said. 'Listen, we can do more with less, Mr. Chairman, and if we do more with less, that means that we'll have the additional money, I think, through this committee to put back into the infrastructure that so many of us dearly want in our communities.'
Fox News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
DHS chief Noem accuses lawmakers of 'committing felonies' at Newark ICE facility; 'They should be censured'
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday called out members of Congress for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers during a heated altercation outside a Newark immigration detention center last week. Noem criticized the lawmakers for defending their actions as a supposed "oversight." Appearing on 'Jesse Watters Prime,' Noem accused the lawmakers of committing criminal behavior. "This wasn't oversight. This was committing felonies. This was going out and attacking people who stand up for the rule of law. And it was absolutely horrible," Noem said. "I can't believe they act like this and then they defend it. And then they're doing these acts of violence to get people out of detention centers that are rapists, that are murderers, that are people that are [from] foreign terrorist organizations that have been out there victimizing our communities in the United States of America," she went on. U.S. Reps. Rob Menendez Jr., Bonnie Watson Coleman and LaMonica McIver – all New Jersey Democrats – stormed ICE's Delaney Hall detention facility's gate in Newark on Friday, demanding they be allowed to conduct an "oversight visit." "These members of Congress storming into a detention facility goes beyond bizarre political stunt and puts the safety of our law enforcement agents and the detainees at risk," a DHS statement to Fox News said. "Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities. Had these members requested a tour, we would have facilitated a tour of the facility." The three lawmakers were outside the facility with a group of protesters when the gates opened to allow an ICE bus in. The lawmakers then rushed through the gates and past security, DHS said. "What are they trying to do?" Noem questioned. "Release these people back into the country so that there could be more Laken Rileys? So there can be more Jocelyn Nungarays? I just don't understand what their point is. They have completely lost their minds." She called for the trio to be censured and formally rebuked by the House of Representatives. "It's astounding to me that someone would even vote for someone to put them in a place of leadership when they perpetuate something as hypocritical and as criminal as what these individuals did," she said. "I hope that the rest of the members of the House of Representatives will hold them accountable," Noem continued. "They shouldn't be allowed to be on the committees that they're on — in fact, one of them (McIver) is supposed to be conducting oversight over ICE and instead she's assaulting them." "They don't deserve to be in the House," Noem added. "They should be censured by it." In a press conference earlier, Coleman denied the accusations that they were trying to illegally enter the facility and claimed that ICE was "out of control." McIver said the three lawmakers had waited more than two hours to gain access to the facility to conduct an oversight visit. She said all three of them were also assaulted by ICE personnel. "There are people who are supposed to be officers, who are supposed to protect us, and they have done none of that," McIver told reporters. "If they can treat three members of Congress like that, just imagine how they can treat people on the street each and every day, both undocumented and people who are citizens here in this country." McIver doubled down in a post on X, saying that "none of this had to happen." "We arrived at Delaney Hall to do our jobs — period," she wrote. "Instead of facilitating congressional oversight, as they are obligated to do, ICE created chaos."
