Federal officials handcuffed an aide of Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) in his Manhattan office on Wednesday, and the incensed congressman is pointing his finger at President Donald Trump.
When the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers entered the office they handcuffed an aide and accused staffers of “harboring rioters,” the Gothamist reported on Friday, noting one staff member asked to see a warrant.
In video footage of the incident, one person is heard saying, “No, she did not. That is not what happened,” while an officer handcuffs the aide who appears to be crying. “She pushed him back,” one of the officers says.
Moments later, an officer is heard saying, “Stop resisting” as the aide continued conversing with him:
The Gothamist article detailed the incident, noting the staff member was not arrested or charged and the case was resolved:
DHS later said in a statement that “one individual” — the woman seen being handcuffed — had blocked police from performing a security check they intended to do based on information there were protesters in the lawmaker’s office. Later that day, protesters gathered outside of the federal building, demonstrating against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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Nadler’s office would not comment on what led up to the chaotic incident, but two people who were at the courthouse to monitor ICE activity said the confrontation came after ICE officers threatened to arrest them and other advocates, and a Nadler staffer invited the advocates inside.
In comments to the New York Post, DHS said, “Based on earlier incidents in a nearby facility, FPS officers were concerned about the safety of the federal employees in the office and went to the location to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those present.”
Officers arrived at the scene and said the woman who was handcuffed was “verbally confrontational and physically blocked access to the office” once the officers identified themselves and their purpose for being at the site. DHS explained she was detained as they finished their security check of the area.
Following the incident, an NYPD spokesperson said law enforcement arrested several demonstrators who allegedly blocked traffic outside the building.
“In the demonstration, mutual aid volunteers assisting immigrants tried to block ICE vans transporting detained immigrants from leaving the building, according to organizers. Eighteen protesters were issued criminal summons, and five people were arrested and charged, the NYPD spokesperson said,” the Gothamist report read.
In a statement on Saturday, Nadler accused Trump and DHS of “sowing chaos” with “intimidation tactics against both citizens and non-citizens in a reckless and dangerous manner.”
“If this can happen in a Member of Congress’s office, it can happen to anyone – and it is happening,” he wrote, then called on Trump and DHS to “halt the use of these dangerous tactics and to abandon use of the expedited removal process which denies due process to immigrants and citizens alike.”
Nadler’s comments come as the Trump administration has been working hard to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens who, under former President Joe Biden’s (D) open border policies, have brought violence and crime to communities across the nation.
In August 2022, Nadler said “Good!” when he learned about the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, per Breitbart News.
“Many others responded to the raid, angered at the ‘abuse of power’ from the FBI and the Democrats,” the outlet said.
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