FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security seal is displayed ahead of an expected press conference at the FEMA National Response Coordination Center in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 24, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard./File Photo
A legal expert sounded the alarm on a lawyer for the Department of Homeland Security who's been attacking federal judges.
During an episode of The Intersection, Michael Popok called out the DHS general counsel, James Percival, and called for his immediate removal. Popok explained that Percival has been using official taxpayer-funded social media accounts to attack federal judges by name.
"He needs to be immediately fired," Popok said. "This guy's got to be impeached. This guy's got to be stopped. He never should have been confirmed."
Percival attacked federal judges from Massachusetts and Maryland by calling them "radical or leftist or criminal or illegal by name in social media posts," Popok explained.
Percival went after Judge Paula Xinis after she ruled that the United States needed to immediately facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose criminal case was later dismissed as vindictive prosecution.
"The judiciary is concerned that their ability to do their job is undermined because of their own personal safety concerns," Popok said, noting recent testimony by Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan about such fears.
Popok said that Percival's behavior "lays at the feet ultimately of Todd Blanche," the acting attorney general. Percival is "taking his cues from Todd Blanche, who at a conference was caught saying that there was a war against the federal judiciary," Popok explained.
According to Popok, Percival was a "right-wing radical" who worked for former Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, "and that's how he got this top job."
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