"The Department of Justice is charging Congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh and five others with conspiracy to impede a U.S. law enforcement officer and impeding a U.S. law enforcement officer. Abughazaleh is running in the Democratic primary against incumbent Rep. Jan Schakowsky. Oak Park Trustee Brian Straw and 45th Ward Democratic committeeperson Michael Rabbitt were also charged in the indictment, along with Catherine Sharp, the chief of staff to Alderman Andre Vasquez and a candidate for the Cook County Board."
""I have been charged in a federal indictment sought by the Department of Justice," Abughazaleh posted on X. "This political prosecution is an attack on all of our First Amendment rights. I'm not backing down, and we're going to win." Prosecutors allege that on September 26, the six people indicted were among a crowd of protesters attempting to prevent a federal agent from entering an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, Illinois."
"Demonstrators protesting outside the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement facility, including Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, 26, left, react after being tear-gassed on September 19, 2025, in Broadview, Illinois. Joshua Lott / The Washington Post via Getty Images Honest, paywall-free news is rare. Please support our boldly independent journalism with a donation The Department of Justice is charging Congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh and five others with conspiracy to impede a U.S. law enforcement officer and impeding a U.S. law enforcement officer."
The Department of Justice charged Kat Abughazaleh and five others with conspiracy to impede a U.S. law enforcement officer and impeding a U.S. law enforcement officer. The indictment names Oak Park Trustee Brian Straw, 45th Ward Democratic committeeperson Michael Rabbitt, and Catherine Sharp, chief of staff to Alderman Andre Vasquez and a Cook County Board candidate. The indictment was unsealed. Prosecutors allege that on September 26 the six were among a crowd attempting to prevent a federal agent from entering an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois. The DOJ released a four-minute video showing a large crowd surrounding a black vehicle, with people banging on and pushing the vehicle. Abughazaleh posted on X calling the indictment a political prosecution and an attack on First Amendment rights and vowed to continue the campaign.
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