The problem isn’t just that Trump called for the impeachment of a federal judge. It’s also the House Republicans who followed the presidential directive.
Problem: Trump calling for the impeachment of a federal judge who's done nothing wrong.
Bigger problem: House Republicans unveiling *four* impeachment resolutions targeting federal judges who've done nothing wrong. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-03-19T12:46:21.254Z
Problem: Trump calling for the impeachment of a federal judge who's done nothing wrong.
Bigger problem: House Republicans unveiling *four* impeachment resolutions targeting federal judges who've done nothing wrong.
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/republicans-waste-little-time-acting-trumps-judicial-impeachment-deman-rcna197031
Less than one day later, Trump crossed a line he’d never crossed before: On heels of a Justice Department speech in which he suggested criticizing judges should be seen as “totally illegal,” the president called U.S. District Judge James Boasberg a “Radical Left Lunatic,” a “troublemaker” and an “agitator.” Trump concluded, “This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!”....
To the extent that reality still has meaning, none of the targeted judges have done anything to suggest they’ve gone “rogue.” But even if Trump has come to the opposite conclusion, the answer to his question is simple: As Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts reminded Trump, he can simply appeal rulings he believes were wrong.
But no matter how serious the White House is about judicial impeachments, it’s not up to Trump or his team to execute such a plan: Presidents have literally no formal or procedural role in the process. Rather, that power rests with Congress — where a group of far-right Republicans apparently interpreted Trump’s appeal as a directive. Axios reported:
Just hours after President Trump called for the impeachment of a federal judge who ruled against his deportation of hundreds of Venezuelans over the weekend, House Republicans introduced a measure to do just that. ... Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) said Tuesday he is introducing articles of impeachment against Boasberg, arguing he “overstepped his authority, compromised the impartiality of the judiciary, and created a constitutional crisis.”
The Texas Republican’s impeachment resolution was unveiled with five co-sponsors: Republican Reps. Eli Crane of Arizona, Buddy Carter of Georgia, Mike Collins of Georgia, Barry Moore of Alabama and Andrew Clyde of Georgia......
House GOP leaders, of course, already have their hands full, and they don’t seem overly eager to launch impeachment crusades against judges who’ve done nothing wrong, and who’d never be removed by two-thirds of the Senate.
What’s unclear, however,
is just how much effort the president intends to invest in this, and what Republican leaders on Capitol Hill will do if Trump decides this is a real priority. Watch this space.
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