Latest news with #Congresswoman
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
It's the economy, estúpido: New Jersey governor's race tests Democrats' efforts to win back Latinos
NEWARK, N.J. — A congresswoman and former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot secured the endorsement of the highest-ranking Hispanic official in her state. A mayor highlighted his arrest by immigration officials. A congressman campaigned at a Latino supermarket. And another mayor decided to put his self-taught Spanish to use on the trail.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Socialist NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani ripped for spreading ‘hate' after calling India leader Narendra Modi ‘war criminal'
Socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani denounced India Prime Minister Narendra Modi a 'war criminal' — and is now being ripped by other city leaders for spreading 'hate' about the Hindu head of state. On the heels of making similarly provocative comments about Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mamdani blasted Modi during a recent mayoral forum. 'This is someone we should view in the same manner we do Benjamin Netenyahu. This is a war criminal,' Mamdani said when asked a hypothetical question about whether he would meet Modi if the Indian leader visited the Big Apple. Mamdani, who is a Muslim of Indian descent, noted that his father Mahmood's family hails from the Gujarat region of India, where Modi has been accused of allowing a massacre of 1,000 Muslims to go on in 2002. It's a claim Modi has repeatedly denied. 'Narendra Modi helped to orchestrate what was a mass slaughter of Muslims in Gujarat to the extent that [people] don't even believe there are Gujarat Muslims anymore,' Mamdani said during the May 15 'New Mayor, New Media' event sponsored by New York Focus and HellGate NY. He also said people are 'shocked' when he reveals he's a Gujarat Muslim. He previously slammed two New York politicians of Indian descent — Queens Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar and former state Sen. Kevin Thomas — for being aligned with or not condemning Modi and his ruling Hindu government. In 2020, he criticized other lawmakers of Indian descent for associating with Modi's regime. '@JeniferRajkumar should return the money she's taken from Hindu fascists,' he said in a tweet, referring to the Queens assemblywoman who is now running for public advocate. '@KevinThomasNY should acknowledge the terrifying truth of what's happening to Muslim Indians,' he added, referring to the former Long Island state senator. He also said former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney should 'renounce her association with Modi & condemn the atrocities he's perpetrated.' In response, Rajkumar, an Indo-American who is Hindu, took a swipe at Mamdani. 'At a time when New Yorkers are struggling with real issues—rising crime, a housing crisis, and growing hate—we cannot afford to be distracted by extreme, divisive language about foreign leaders,' Rajkumar said. 'Hinduism is a faith of peace, nonviolence, and interfaith harmony. Hindu voters want our leaders to build bridges—not burn them. We must reject hate—whether it comes from the far left or the far right. Our city deserves leaders who unite, not provoke—who build coalitions, not headlines,' the lawmaker said in a swipe at Mamdani. Jaspreet Singh, a Sikh Community Leader and human rights lawyer, said, 'Hate has no place in our city. We believe in equality, love and respect for all. We believe all are children of the same God. 'But Zohran has used his platform to amplify some of the worst anti-Hindu rhetoric imaginable. Words matter, and instead of uniting the Indian community, he seeks to divide us by religion, pitting Muslims and Hindus against each other. Associating Hindus with fascism and using derogatory words against them is highly objectionable.' Singh accused Mamdani of trying to 'dehumanize' the Hindu community. 'Hatred serves no purpose. People who wish to serve others in any capacity should rise above it. He owes the Hindu community an apology and if he cares about human rights, he'll start treating us as equals. This type of hateful rhetoric against our community has no place in New York, let alone anywhere near the footsteps of City Hall.' Mamdani's criticism could stir up the 250,000 Indo-Americans, many of whom are Hindus. It wouldn't be the only large New York voting block that his comments and actions have incensed. Mamdani is also a staunch critic of Israel and supports the boycott divestment and sanctions movement against the Jewish State, even leading 'BDS!' chants at a 2021 pro-Palestinian rally. Jewish civil rights groups such as the Anti-Defamation brand the BDS movement as antisemitic for seeking to undermine Israel.
Washington Post
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Congresswoman's charges fuel claims of intimidation of Trump critics
In April, the Justice Department arrested a Wisconsin judge accused of helping an undocumented immigrant try to evade arrest by federal authorities. Three weeks later, the Secret Service launched a probe into former FBI director James B. Comey over a social media post it said amounted to a threat against President Donald Trump. And this week, the interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey charged a member of Congress with assault after she was accused of slamming her forearms against federal agents. Trump officials have said their moves are about ending the politicization of law enforcement and holding everyone to the same standard of justice, regardless of title or status. But Democrats and some legal scholars say they carry a message. Especially alarming to some is the recent criminal charge leveled against a Democratic congresswoman from New Jersey. 'It's an attempt to intimidate potential critics,' said Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California at Berkeley Law School. Chemerinsky said he can't think of a precedent for arresting a judge, charging a member of Congress and investigating the former head of the FBI, noting that prosecutions of public officials typically focus on corruption. 'This is arresting a congresswoman for interfering with federal law enforcement,' he said. 'I can't think of an instance where we've seen something like that.' Others, such as Eugene Volokh, an emeritus First Amendment professor at UCLA, said he believes there are 'plausible arguments' that the judge and congresswoman may have broken the law. Trump, who was indicted in two federal cases after his first term ended, promised as a candidate last year to remedy what he portrayed as a criminal justice system weaponized against him when Joe Biden was president. (Biden said he did not involve himself in the cases.) Trump defended his administration's actions on Tuesday. A White House spokesman, Harrison Fields, said that unlike Democrats, the administration is focused on investigating crimes regardless of who commits them. The clashes reflect a politically charged moment, with many Democrats shut out of power in Washington and eager to challenge the Trump administration in vocal and visible ways. Trump and his supporters often adopt a tough posture, relishing the arrests in social media posts and cable TV appearances. On Tuesday, prosecutors charged Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-New Jersey) with assaulting two federal agents outside an immigration center in Newark during a scuffle this month. Trump accused McIver of being 'out of control' and said 'the days of that crap are over.' 'It's super unfortunate that we have come to this point in America that this is what we see happening to leaders in America who are trying to do their jobs,' McIver said Tuesday on CNN. 'We've seen this administration come after and attack leaders for trying to do their jobs. It's political intimidation, and I will not be intimidated.' Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D) was arrested at the same event and was initially charged with trespassing. On Monday, Alina Habba, the interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said she would seek to dismiss the charges against Baraka, who is running in the Democratic primary for governor. The judge in that case has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday afternoon. On May 9, McIver visited Delaney Hall detention center in Newark with two other House Democrats for a congressional oversight tour of the facility. Baraka was arrested for trespassing amid a chaotic scene involving him, masked law enforcement officials and the three House members. Video released by the Department of Homeland Security shows McIver rushing after the agents as they attempted to arrest Baraka and shouting to protesters outside to 'surround the mayor.' At one point in the video, McIver's elbows appear to make contact with a masked officer amid the crush of the crowd. McIver went on an hour-long tour of the facility with the other House members afterward. Habba, in her statement Monday, said her office gave McIver 'every opportunity' to resolve the matter without bringing criminal charges but that McIver refused. Habba did not elaborate on what those opportunities entailed, and her office declined to comment further on McIver's case. McIver told CNN that Habba had asked her to admit to doing something she didn't do and that she refused to do so. Habba and other Justice Department officials cast the case as an effort to stand up for federal agents trying to do their jobs. 'This administration will always protect those who work tirelessly to keep America safe,' Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a social media post Monday night. Habba, in announcing the charges against McIver, maintained that 'no one is above the law — politicians or otherwise.' There could be more fallout from the incident. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-New Jersey) told reporters Tuesday there was a 'possibility' she and Rep. Robert Menendez Jr. (D-New Jersey) could face charges because of the incident. Coleman said attorneys from the members of Congress would meet soon with prosecutors. 'So we don't know what she has intended,' she said. 'But we're ready for whatever it might be.' Republicans said Democrats need to follow the law. 'Members are free to do what they want, but they run consequences when they do,' said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma). 'They don't have any special legal protection, nor should they.' Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) suggested voting to expel McIver from the House, while others have pushed for voting to formally censure her. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has not indicated whether he would consider taking action against her. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) told Democrats during their weekly caucus meeting on Tuesday that they would make sure that the 'so-called U.S. attorney' never gets confirmed by the Senate. Habba, a former personal lawyer for Trump, has not been formally nominated. U.S. attorney candidates have typically been subject to the 'blue slip' tradition in the Senate, which means their nominations are effectively killed if either of the two senators representing their home state do not approve of them. New Jersey's senators — Cory Booker and Andy Kim — are both Democrats who seem unlikely to approve her. 'She's an incredibly dangerous, politicized person in that role,' Kim said on Tuesday. This year's race for governor in New Jersey is seen as a high-profile gauge of voter sentiment about Trump. Like other Democrats in the primary, Baraka is pitching himself as someone who can push back forcefully on the administration as well as tackle local issues. 'This is really dangerous,' said Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-New Jersey), who is running for governor and previously served as a federal prosecutor in the office that Habba now oversees. 'McIver is a member of Congress. She was performing oversight duty. For Habba to politically charge her and … engage in a political type of assault on a member of Congress is really a dangerous path.' The charges against McIver were filed less than a month after federal officials arrested Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan at the courthouse where she presides. Hours later, FBI Director Kash Patel posted a photo online of the judge being led away in handcuffs below the phrase, 'No one is above the law.' Dugan has been indicted on charges of obstructing an official proceeding and concealing a person from arrest. She is accused of directing an immigrant who appeared before her to exit her courtroom through a side door instead of directly into a hallway where agents were waiting to arrest him. The agents caught up to him outside the courthouse. Dugan has asked the court to throw out the charges, arguing that federal prosecutors have no power to charge her for how she conducts business in her courtroom. Last week, the administration accused Comey, a Trump adversary, of threatening the president by posting a photo online of shells on a beach spelling out the phrase '86 47.' Trump is the 47th president, and '86' means to ban or remove someone and can be used as slang for killing a person. The Secret Service launched an investigation and on Friday interviewed Comey, who had already taken down his social media post. Comey has said he meant to spread only a political message. Volokh, the emeritus professor at UCLA, said he was skeptical of the need to investigate Comey. But he saw the Dugan and McIver cases differently. 'So much depends on the facts, but as a general matter, I think that these prosecutions, if the facts are as the government alleges, may very well be quite legitimate,' he said. Aziz Huq, a constitutional scholar at the University of Chicago Law School, said investigators, prosecutors and investigators typically exercise restraint when reviewing cases involving free speech because they do not want to trample on anyone's rights. That's not so with recent decisions, he said. 'Rather than seeing caution in the use of these tools, we're seeing the opposite, which is the aggressive and arguably actually reckless use of these tools against individuals who are seen as being adverse to this administration,' he said. Hannah Knowles and Marianna Sotomayor contributed to this report.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minneapolis man indicted for threatening to kill member of U.S. Congress
The Brief A Minneapolis man has been indicted by the U.S. Attorney's Office, accused of threatening to kill a member of U.S. Congress. Michael Lewis is charged with threatening to murder at United States official, and one count of interstate transmission of a threat to injure the other person. Lewis made his first court appearance on Friday, and will be back in court April 23. MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A 52-year-old Minneapolis man is facing federal charges as he's accused of threatening to kill a woman who is a member of the United States Congress. Michael Lewis was charged with one count of threatening to murder a United States official, and one count of interstate transmission of a threat to injure the other person, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. According to court documents, Lewis called the office of a Congresswoman and allegedly left a voicemail threatening to murder her. What they're saying The U.S. Attorney's Office and FBI issued statements on the charge. "Federal law protects our elected officials from this sort of violent, unhinged, and murderous rhetoric," said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa Kirkpatrick. "It is entirely unacceptable. Defendants who attempt to terrorize public officials in this way will face the full weight of federal justice. I am grateful for the diligent and swift work of the FBI to hold this defendant to account." "Threatening to kill a member of Congress is not protected speech. It is a federal crime that will be met with immediate and decisive action," said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. "No one should be subject to violence for fulfilling their elected duty to represent the American people. The FBI and our partners will investigate such threats thoroughly and hold accountable anyone who threatens the safety of our elected leaders." Timeline Lewis made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on Friday, and will remain detained until his arraignment and detention hearing on April 23. The Source Information was provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI.
