Congresswoman's charges fuel claims of intimidation of Trump critics
The administration says it is applying the same standard of justice to everyone. Some legal scholars see it differently.
Updated May 21, 2025
By Patrick Marley, Jeremy Roebuck, Liz Goodwin and Sarah Ellison
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” ...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/05/21/trump-habba-mciver-arrest-new-jersey/