A group of former Republican members of Congress criticized the Trump administration for the "outrageous" criminal charges against a Democratic lawmaker accused of assaulting and impeding law enforcement at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in New Jersey.

Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey faces federal charges for allegedly assaulting agents at an ICE facility, which she dismisses as political intimidation.

Prosecuting McIver is a rare federal criminal case against a sitting member of Congress for allegations other than fraud or corruption.

The Trump administration is investigating former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and pressing charges against a New Jersey congresswoman, leveraging its control over the criminal justice system to pursue Democratic rivals.

Former Obama-era White House ethics lawyer Norm Eisen called the criminal charge against Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) “absurd” and predicted it would “not stand” up in court. “We’ve all seen that