The Obama-appointed federal judge who ruled against President Donald Trump’s deportations of suspected Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members played a key role in the failed Russia-Trump collusion accusations while presiding over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Court.
Chief Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ignited a legal battle against the Trump administration by attempting to block and return deportation flights of illegal alien gang members to El Salvador, Breitbart News reported.
A Thursday report by investigative journalist Jerry Dunleavy detailed Boasberg’s deep involvement in the FBI’s discredited “Russiagate” investigation. As head of the FISA Court, Boasberg approved controversial decisions, including a lenient sentence for an FBI lawyer who falsified evidence against a Trump associate, and the renewal of overreaching surveillance powers for U.S. spy agencies.
Despite acknowledging “serious errors” in the Russia probe, Boasberg renewed the NSA’s warrantless surveillance program in 2020 and appointed Obama DOJ veterans David Kris and Mary McCord—both proponents of the Russian collusion hoax—to assist the FISA Court with reforms.
Boasberg’s latest ruling sought to block Trump’s use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, which allowed the swift deportation of over 200 TdA-affiliated migrants and two dozen MS-13 gang members to El Salvador. His order to return the deportees came after they had already been placed in President Nayib Bukele’s high-security prison.
The White House and DOJ swiftly condemned Boasberg’s ruling, with Trump calling him a “crooked judge” and demanding his impeachment. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that Boasberg’s ruling “puts the public and law enforcement at risk” and that federal courts lack jurisdiction over the president’s foreign affairs authority.
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) has since filed Articles of Impeachment against Boasberg, calling him a “radical activist” judge guilty of “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
