Longtime Democratic Rep. Jerrod Nadler slammed President Trump for “sowing chaos” nationwide after federal agents handcuffed one of his aides inside his lower Manhattan office.
The lawmaker’s verbal tirade came after Department of Homeland Security officers entered the Big Apple office Wednesday and accused his staff of “harboring rioters” in a dramatic confrontation caught on video.
“President Trump and the Department of Homeland Security are sowing chaos in our communities, using intimidating tactics against both citizens and non-citizens in a reckless and dangerous manner,” he said in a statement to Politico.
“If this can happen in a Member of Congress’s office, it can happen to anyone — and it is happening.”
The video, obtained by Gothamist, showed one agent aggressively restraining a teary-eyed female staffer, while another employee asked for a warrant and blocked a second officer from entering a private section of the congressional office, located in the same Varick Street building as federal immigration court.
“I’m a federal officer, we’re here checking on something,” the male agent said to the employee standing in his way, the footage showed.
“We have the right to check. You are harboring rioters in the office,” he argued in the heated back-and-forth that ended with the staffer granting him access to the back office.
Nadler said that the “deeply troubling” incident showed a clear violation of legal protocols.
Federal Protective Service officers went to the congressman’s office to conduct a security check after receiving reports that protesters were hiding inside, DHS told The Post in a statement.
“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,” Homeland Security officials said.
When they arrived, one individual – the woman who was briefly detained – was “verbally confrontational and physically blocked access to the office” after the officers identified themselves and explained why there were there.
“The officers then detained the individual in the hallway for the purpose of completing the security check,” DHS said.
The aide was released after the fiery standoff — which reportedly erupted when a Nadler staffer invited two advocates monitoring ICE activity at the courthouse into the office.
Nadler charged that the Trump administration is embracing totalitarian and authoritarian tactics.
“The Trump administration is trying to intimidate members of Congress,” Nadler told the New York Times Saturday.
“They’re behaving like fascists. We have to fight them. We don’t want to be a fascist country.”
The White House did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Read the full article here
