Trump again assails federal judge at center of deportation flight controversy

President Donald Trump is lashing out again against the top federal judge of the Washington, D.C. circuit, who issued an order stopping deportation flights of alleged gang members under the Alien Enemies Act.

“If a President doesn’t have the right to throw murderers, and other criminals, out of our Country because a Radical Left Lunatic Judge wants to assume the role of President, then our Country is in very big trouble, and destined to fail!” Trump wrote early Wednesday morning in a post on Truth Social, reacting to U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s order on Saturday to stop deportation flights that were already in the air.

It also comes after Trump called for Boasberg’s impeachment.

“Many people have called for his impeachment, the impeachment of this judge. I don’t know who the judge is, but he’s radical left,” Trump told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham in a Fox News interview on Tuesday.

“He was Obama-appointed, and he actually said we shouldn’t be able to take criminals, killers, murderers, horrible, the worst people, gang members, gang leaders, that we shouldn’t be allowed to take them out of our country,” Trump said. “That’s not for a local judge to be making that determination.”

In the wake of Trump’s call for impeachment, Chief Justice Roberts issued an unusual statement rebuking the move.

“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts said in the statement. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”

Congress can impeach a judge if a simple majority is reached in the House. If the articles were taken up and ultimately clear the House, the Senate would need to hold a trial. It would require a two-thirds majority vote in the upper chamber to convict a judge.

It’s rare, but not unprecedented, for members of Congress to file articles of impeachment against a judge.

Trump, meanwhile, brushed off Roberts’ criticism, saying, “He didn’t mention my name in the statement. I just saw it quickly. He didn’t mention my name.”