U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill, (R-TX), is currently drafting impeachment articles against James Boasberg. Boasberg was the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and signed off on the covert surveillance of Republican legislators as part of Justice Department led by Biden’s “Arctic Frost investigation.”
Documents, released by congressional investigators earlier this week, revealed that the former Special Counsel Jack Smith had surveilled up to 163 conservative politicians, pundits and activists, and some of the country’s most prominent conservative groups, such as Turning Point USA, and Heritage Foundation. Former Attorney General Merrick Garland and former FBI director Christopher Wray personally approved the investigation, which focused on Trump’s opposition to 2020 elections but was open-ended.
Arctic Frost investigators cordoned off several FBI offices in the United States and obtained, amongst other things, phone records, political communications, bank records, etc. Arctic Frost investigators cordoned off several FBI field offices across the country to obtain phone records, sensitive political communications and bank records among other things.
Boasberg was a key player in the case of the FBI’s secret search warrants, which were issued to Republican legislators, entities and individuals, including eight Senators, one Congressman and at least four other members. This allowed the government to collect their records and communications, as well as their metadata and phone data, without the knowledge or consent of the target.
Boasberg in one instance approved an AT&T subpoena for Ted Cruz’s cellphone data from 2022, which included calls, text messages, voicemails and geolocations between January 4-7 2021, as well as the landline of his Senate Office via Verizon. This was done as part to investigate potential “election conspiracies” with Trump.
Boasberg justified his decision by saying that Cruz was a risk to national security, and could destroy evidence, alter records, intimidate witnesses or threaten them if informed.
Speakers at the ABA Conference on April 2, 2020 include Judge James Boasberg
Cruz has categorically denied the claims as politically motivated and baseless, and noted that no evidence supported them. AT&T resisted complying citing Constitutional protections of Congress. The surveillance included communications between legislative staff and media as well as other Republicans. Boasberg issued similar orders to other targets “like placemats in Denny’s”, turning Arctic Frost into an extensive dragnet targeting GOP figures who are challenging the 2020 elections.
Arctic Frost surveillance has been kept secret for the past year from targets including Senator Ted Cruz. This was done through “gag orders” signed by Judge Boasberg, which prohibited AT&T or Verizon from telling the individuals or organizations that were subpoenaed about the spying. The orders were based on the risks of destruction of evidence or compromise in investigations, which allowed the Biden-era FBI to conduct what Republicans refer to as a “covert spying campaign.”
At a Thursday press conference, Senator Cruz and other Republican legislators called for the House of Representatives to impeach Boasberg because of his involvement in the scandal. Cruz said Boasberg had committed an “egregious misuse of judicial authority” as well as becoming a “partisan warlord” for authorizing secret subpoenas in the course of this investigation.
“I’m calling right now on the House of Representatives impeach James Boasberg,” stating that “precisely no evidence” was provided to back Boasberg claims that Cruz could destroy evidence, alter records or intimidate witness if informed. Boasberg called it a pretext to “weaponize legal system.”
Rep. Gill announced hours later that he would be reintroducing impeachment articles against Boasberg in light of these latest revelations. Gill introduced articles of impeachment against Boasberg earlier in the year for his attempts to stop the Trump Administration from implementing the Alien Enemies Act.
Gill wrote on X: “Senator Cruz has it exactly right. Judge Boasberg should be impeached.” “I am working on Articles of Impeachment right now.”
To impeach an federal judge, it is necessary for the U.S. House of Representatives to approve a motion of trial with a simple majority. It is unlikely that a federal judge will be removed, since a conviction by the Senate would need to have two thirds of votes.
