'Hopes people are stupid': Critics slam Republican's effort to impeach judge

Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) appeared on Newsmax Wednesday, attacking U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg, who is presiding over the case involving the flights that deported people the Donald Trump administration alleged were gang members.

Boasberg told Trump's Justice Department lawyers over the weekend that the flights must be paused or turned around. There has been a further question about whether the administration made a calculated decision to ignore the judge, said the Associated Press. That led to further questions by the judge and an official request for information.

The judge will ultimately decide whether "to hold a government official within the Trump administration in contempt of court," said PBS News Hour correspondent Laura Barron-Lopez.

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On Tuesday, Gill announced on X that he officially filed impeachment charges against Boasberg. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt falsely claimed that Boasberg was a "liberal" judge appointed by former President Barack Obama.

In fact, Boasberg was appointed by former President George W. Bush and elevated by Obama in 2011. According to Reuters, the vote in support of Boasberg in the U.S. Senate was 96-0, with all Republicans supporting the judge's elevation to the post.

Newsmax asked Gill Wednesday afternoon to reveal the "high crimes and misdemeanors" he charged Boasberg with.

Gill said, "This is for usurping the executive's authority, for demeaning the impartiality of the court by making a politicized ruling and forcing a constitutional crisis that is a high crime and misdemeanor."

Reason reporter Billy Binion responded to the interview by noting, "It's unclear if Brandon Gill does not understand how the judiciary works on a basic level or if he just hopes people are stupid, but neither option bodes well. I'm tired of taxpayer dollars being used to fund the six-figure salaries of performance artists."

CBS News justice correspondent Scott MacFarlane noted Gill "is the same House member who introduced [the] bill this month to order the U.S. Mint to begin printing all $100 bills with Trump’s portrait (replacing Ben Franklin) in 2028."

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) said that this impeachment would likely not come up for a vote "because he knows myself and a few other Dems (I'm looking at you, Jasmine Crockett) will beat back this bulls--t on the House Floor."

See the clip below or at the link here.