“Trump attacked you today,” Psaki said. “You’re in elected office — you expect that. But what do you say to everyday people? What’s your message to whistleblowers or those with important stories to share about why now is the time to speak up?”
Booker didn’t hesitate. “Stand up and fight,” he said. “I’m going to keep fighting. I don’t care if this president calls me out every day, sends mean tweets, or threatens me.”
Booker referenced recent arrests of Newark officials as part of what he characterized as a broader campaign of political intimidation.
“My congresswoman, LaMonica McIver — they arrested her. My mayor — arrested. It seems like they’re targeting Newark officials in elected positions. But I don’t care. Throw me in jail. Do what you have to do. I’m going to keep standing up for what’s right,” he said.
He ended with a broader call to action: “When one person speaks out, it can inspire another, and another. At a time when our democracy and freedoms are under threat from this president, we need more people willing to stand up and fight.”
Booker’s remarks come amid the legal controversy surrounding Rep. LaMonica McIver, a Democrat representing New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District. McIver made her first court appearance in May after being charged with assaulting ICE agents during a confrontation at a New Jersey detention facility. Video footage appears to show McIver physically shoving and striking agents.
The 38-year-old congresswoman was released on her own recognizance and barred from international travel, except for official duties with prior government notice. If convicted, she faces up to eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
McIver has called the charges “absurd” and politically motivated. “It was very unnecessary,” she told CNN. “I was there to do my job. If I’m going to be charged with a crime for that, it really speaks to where this country is headed.”
The Department of Justice has pushed back on claims of political bias. Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, formerly one of Trump’s personal attorneys, defended the charges.
“This has nothing to do with congressional oversight or politics,” Habba told the New York Post. “It’s about respecting the rule of law and those who risk their lives to keep us safe.”
McIver has begun fundraising off the indictment, framing her defense as a fight against what she claims is a racially motivated prosecution.