BS BULLETIN:
- Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, is introducing an article of impeachment against U.S. District Judge James Boasberg over his role in approving subpoenas and nondisclosure orders tied to special counsel Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost investigation.
- Senate Judiciary Committee records show Smith’s team issued 197 subpoenas seeking information connected to at least 430 Republican individuals and organizations.
- Gill alleges Boasberg abused his judicial authority, but the impeachment resolution itself does not establish misconduct and questions remain about what information prosecutors presented to the judge.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg is facing another Republican impeachment push — this time over his role in Jack Smith’s sprawling investigation of President Donald Trump and his allies.
Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas is introducing an article of impeachment accusing Boasberg of abusing his power when he authorized certain subpoenas and nondisclosure orders connected to the Justice Department’s Arctic Frost investigation.
The investigation ultimately became special counsel Jack Smith’s election-related prosecution of Trump.
Gill’s resolution focuses heavily on revelations released by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley concerning the scope of Arctic Frost.
According to records released by the committee, Smith’s team issued 197 subpoenas seeking information connected to at least 430 Republican individuals and entities.
The records show investigators sought information involving communications with members of Congress, White House advisers, political organizations and media figures.
Some of those subpoenas were accompanied by nondisclosure orders that prevented companies receiving them from alerting the affected customers.
Boasberg approved certain subpoenas and secrecy orders associated with the investigation.
Gill argues that those approvals crossed the line.
The congressman alleges Boasberg “abused the power of his office” by approving orders connected to records belonging to Republican lawmakers and other Trump allies.
But an impeachment resolution is an allegation, not a finding of judicial misconduct.
A key unanswered question is exactly what prosecutors told Boasberg when they sought the subpoenas and nondisclosure orders — and what information the judge had before him when he approved them.
The Senate Judiciary Committee’s disclosures have fueled demands from Republicans for greater transparency about Arctic Frost and the Justice Department’s treatment of lawmakers whose records were sought.
This isn’t Boasberg’s first encounter with impeachment demands.
Republicans previously targeted the judge over his handling of litigation involving the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act in deportation cases.
Removing a federal judge is deliberately difficult.
The House would first have to approve an article of impeachment by a majority vote. Conviction and removal would then require a two-thirds vote in the Senate.
For now, Gill’s resolution guarantees that Boasberg’s role in the Smith investigation will get another round of scrutiny on Capitol Hill.
MY QUICK TAKE
Strip away the partisan shouting for a minute.
Congress should get a clear answer to one question: What exactly did prosecutors tell a federal judge when they sought secret access to records connected to sitting members of Congress?
That’s worth knowing.
Whether it rises to an impeachable offense is a separate — and much higher — bar.
DBS WIRE SOURCES
- Fox News — Gill moves to impeach Boasberg
- Senate Judiciary Committee — Arctic Frost records
- Senate Judiciary Committee — More than 400 Republican individuals and groups targeted
