Texas Congressman Brandon Gill Drafts Articles of Impeachment Against Judge James Boasberg Over FBI Misconduct and Anti-Trump Rulings
A new impeachment push is shaking Washington once again. Congressman Brandon Gill of Texas has announced that he is drafting Articles of Impeachment against District of Columbia Chief Judge James Boasberg — a move that has already drawn support from Rep. Chip Roy and several other House Republicans. The measure reignites months of conservative frustration over judicial overreach, political bias, and the mounting revelations surrounding the FBI’s handling of politically charged investigations.
According to Gill’s office, the decision follows a wave of outrage triggered by recent FBI disclosures showing that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation under Boasberg’s supervision had secretly targeted multiple Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Ted Cruz. The October 2025 disclosures revealed that Smith’s office issued covert subpoenas for cellphone records belonging to Cruz and several Trump-aligned aides — actions authorized under sealed rulings by Boasberg, who at the time was overseeing portions of the special counsel’s classified proceedings.
The controversy deepened when documents surfaced detailing a 2017 order from Boasberg instructing the Justice Department to withhold notification from Cruz about the seizure of his communications, allegedly to prevent “evidence tampering.” While defenders of the ruling say it fell within the scope of lawful investigative secrecy, Republicans argue it violated constitutional protections and exposed a two-tiered system of justice. “This wasn’t law enforcement,” Gill said in a statement on Thursday. “This was political surveillance — plain and simple. A judge who enables that kind of abuse has no business sitting on the bench.”
Boasberg, a longtime federal judge appointed during the Obama administration and elevated to Chief Judge of the D.C. District Court in 2023, has faced mounting criticism from conservatives for what they describe as a pattern of partisan decision-making. He was previously accused of blocking deportation flights ordered under President Trump in early 2025, after the Department of Homeland Security sought to remove Venezuelan gang members with pending asylum appeals. Boasberg’s injunction halted the flights, citing insufficient procedural review — a move that Republicans say undermined executive authority and endangered public safety.
Rep. Gill’s impeachment articles reportedly center on three key allegations: obstruction of executive enforcement, misconduct in overseeing politically selective subpoenas, and abuse of judicial secrecy to protect partisan investigations. Though the text of the resolution has not yet been publicly released, sources close to Gill’s office say it will include references to both the 2017 and 2025 incidents as evidence of “consistent judicial misconduct.”
The effort has already drawn vocal backing from figures like Rep. Chip Roy of Texas and Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri, who have called for a full congressional inquiry into the scope of Boasberg’s role in authorizing what they describe as politically motivated surveillance. Schmitt, speaking on X, compared the revelations to the early stages of the Watergate scandal, saying, “When judges use secrecy to shield political targeting, that’s not justice — that’s weaponization.”
Boasberg’s defenders argue that the impeachment push is purely political, pointing out that impeachment of a federal judge requires a majority vote in the House and a two-thirds majority in the Senate — an extremely high bar unlikely to succeed. Nonetheless, the campaign underscores deepening mistrust between congressional Republicans and elements of the federal judiciary they see as politically entrenched.
Legal scholars note that while impeachment of judges is rare, it has precedent. The last federal judge to be removed was in 2010, and only fifteen in U.S. history have been impeached. Still, the symbolic weight of Gill’s measure could make it a defining flashpoint heading into the 2026 midterms, especially as conservatives rally behind broader efforts to expose alleged corruption within the Department of Justice and federal courts.
As of Thursday night, Gill’s office confirmed that the Articles of Impeachment are being finalized for formal introduction next week. “This is about restoring accountability,” he said. “When judges act as political operatives instead of neutral arbiters, they betray the Constitution they swore to uphold. Congress has a duty to respond.”
Whether the measure gains traction remains to be seen, but its unveiling marks another escalation in the widening standoff between the judicial branch and the Republican-led House. For supporters, it represents long-delayed justice. For critics, it’s yet another partisan flashpoint in an era already defined by political warfare.
