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As the New York City mayoral results roll in, the Department of Justice is remaining silent on whether it will press charges against city comptroller and former Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander, who allegedly assaulted a federal immigration officer inside a courthouse.
A spokesperson for the DOJ replied to Fox News Digital’s inquiry in an emailed statement, simply saying, “Unfortunately, we are not able to provide any additional information.”
Video footage taken of Lander’s arrest, which was on June 17, shows a chaotic scene in which Lander is hanging onto Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as they escorted a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza. He repeatedly asked officials if they had a judicial warrant.
“I will let go when you show me the judicial warrant!” Lander said in the video. “Where is it?! Where is the warrant?!”
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The video shows federal officials eventually separate Lander from the immigrant whom the officials were targeting, and they proceed to handcuff Lander. He can be heard repeatedly insisting they do not have the authority to arrest him. One agent seemed to say that he was obstructing an arrest, to which he replied, “I’m not obstructing. I’m standing right here in the hallway. I asked to see the judicial warrant.”
Hours later, Lander walked out of the federal courthouse where he was being held alongside New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. During a news conference outside the courthouse, Hochul said that charges against Lander had been dropped, though the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said it was “continuing to investigate” Lander’s actions.
“The safety and security of official proceedings, government officials, law enforcement officers, and all members of the public who participate in them is a core focus of our Office,” said Nick Biase, chief of public affairs for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “The Department of Justice will prosecute violations of federal law.”
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At the time of the incident, Lander was running for the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor, a race in which he ended up placing third. Though he was hailed as a hero by progressives, some accused him of purposely getting himself arrested for political clout.
Joe Borelli, a former New York City councilman and GOP political operative, told Fox News Digital that he believes Lander’s arrest was a “staged event.”
“Election day is a week from today, and early voting has begun. Make no mistake, the purpose was to get the headlines that he’s getting,” said Borelli. “It’s instant name recognition and establishing even stronger liberal bona fides.”
Speaking with Fox News after the incident, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin accused Democrat politicians, including Lander, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, of being purposely disruptive to “get their 15 minutes of fame… off the backs of our ICE law enforcement officers.”
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“We won’t stand for it in this administration,” said McLaughlin. “If you lay hands on an officer or impede their enforcement action, you will be arrested as just as we saw here.”
Weeks later, as New York City released its ranked choice election results, representatives for the Department of Justice declined to say whether the agency was still investigating the incident or whether it was considering charges against Lander.
The DOJ has similarly declined to comment on whether it will file charges against Padilla, who was temporarily detained after interrupting a press conference held by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles on June 12.
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Padilla was pushed out of the room by the Secret Service and briefly arrested after trying to ask the secretary a question in the middle of her remarks.
A DOJ spokesperson replied via email to Fox News Digital’s inquiry about Padilla, saying, “No comment here.”
Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
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