Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts scolded President Trump Tuesday for demanding that a federal judge who blocked the swift deportation of Venezeulan gang members be impeached.
In a rare direct response to a presidential statement, Roberts responded to Trump’s morning comments toward Chief DC US District Judge James Boasberg, saying: “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.
“The normal appellate review process exists for that reason,” the chief justice concluded.
Trump, 78, went off on Boasberg after the judge ruled Saturday the president could not immediately invoke the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport members of Tren de Aragua without any hearing — and ordered deportation flights already in the air to return to the US.
“This Radical Left Lunatic of a Judge, a troublemaker and agitator who was sadly appointed by Barack Hussein Obama, was not elected President,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He didn’t WIN the popular VOTE (by a lot!), he didn’t WIN ALL SEVEN SWING STATES, he didn’t WIN 2,750 to 525 Counties, HE DIDN’T WIN ANYTHING! I WON FOR MANY REASONS, IN AN OVERWHELMING MANDATE, BUT FIGHTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION MAY HAVE BEEN THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR THIS HISTORIC VICTORY. I’m just doing what the VOTERS wanted me to do. This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ [sic] I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!! WE DON’T WANT VICIOUS, VIOLENT, AND DEMENTED CRIMINALS, MANY OF THEM DERANGED MURDERERS, IN OUR COUNTRY. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
