Trump calls to impeach judge in suspected Venezuelan gang deportation case
Judge Boasberg scolded government attorneys, accusing the administration of carrying out deportations in defiance of his temporary order blocking them.
Scripps News Group
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President Donald Trump harshly criticized the judge overseeing a case involving the deportation of suspected Venezuelan gang members — even calling for his impeachment.
"This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!" Trump said on Truth Social. "WE DON’T WANT VICIOUS, VIOLENT, AND DEMENTED CRIMINALS, MANY OF THEM DERANGED MURDERERS, IN OUR COUNTRY."
U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg scolded government attorneys on Monday, accusing the administration of carrying out deportations in defiance of his temporary order blocking them.
The Trump administration argued that planes were already in the air when the ruling was issued and that officials complied with less specific written instructions.
RELATED STORY | Judge questions Trump administration deportation of suspected Venezuelan gang members
“I’m just asking how you think my equitable powers do not attach to a plane that has departed the U.S., even if it’s in international airspace,” Boasberg pressed a government attorney.
Deputy Associate Attorney General Abhishek Kambli declined to answer directly, citing national security concerns.
“These are sensitive, operational tasks of national security,” Kambli said.
Boasberg ordered the government to clarify by noon Tuesday the time it believed his orders went into effect.
Impeaching a federal judge is extremely rare and requires action by both chambers of Congress. The House can vote to impeach a judge, but conviction and removal require a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate.