Byron Donalds Confirms Impeachment Articles Against Judge Boasberg For Authorizing Surveillance Of Republicans

A political firestorm erupted in Washington this week after Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) confirmed that impeachment articles are being prepared against federal Judge James Boasberg, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., for allegedly authorizing illegal surveillance operations against Republican lawmakers and political figures.

The move marks one of the boldest confrontations yet between House conservatives and the federal judiciary, signaling an escalating battle over alleged judicial partisanship and prosecutorial abuse under the Biden administration.

Speaking in a fiery interview on Tuesday morning, Donalds accused Boasberg of “a gross abuse of judicial power” for approving surveillance requests that enabled Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team to obtain communications and data from multiple Republican officials, including sitting U.S. senators.

“He should be impeached,” Donalds declared. “You can’t have a judge just be rogue in our system of justice, helping to abet a rogue prosecutor like Jack Smith to start targeting any American—let alone United States senators. This is outrageous.”

Donalds’ comments confirmed reports that Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) has already begun drafting the impeachment articles, with plans to formally introduce them before the House in the coming days.

“I’m glad my colleague from Texas is actually filing those documents to have him impeached,” Donalds said. “The American people deserve to know that no one, not even a federal judge, is above the law.”

At the center of the controversy is Boasberg’s alleged approval of warrants and court orders authorizing broad electronic surveillance as part of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s “Arctic Frost” investigation—a probe that targeted President Donald Trump and hundreds of his allies based on what congressional investigators have since called “legally deficient” and “politically motivated” evidence.

According to documents obtained by the House Judiciary Committee, Boasberg signed multiple secret surveillance orders in 2022 that allowed the Justice Department to collect communications data from Republican officials under the pretext of investigating “potential threats to democratic processes.”

Critics say those justifications were a thinly veiled attempt to justify spying on political opponents. “This wasn’t about national security, and it wasn’t about justice,” Donalds said.

“It was about power. It was about control. It was about silencing the people who stood up to Joe Biden and the Democrats’ agenda.”

Judge Boasberg, a longtime fixture in Washington’s legal establishment, previously served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), where he approved numerous secret wiretap applications during and after the Trump presidency.

He later became chief judge of the D.C. District Court—a position that gave him direct oversight over politically sensitive cases, including those involving Trump and the January 6 investigations.

Boasberg has been accused by Republicans of consistently siding with the Justice Department in matters involving the former president, including granting Smith’s prosecutors access to privileged communications between Trump and his legal team.

Donalds argued that such actions represent not just bias, but constitutional betrayal. “You can’t have a judiciary that becomes an extension of one political party,” he said. “Judge Boasberg has used his position not to uphold the Constitution but to weaponize it. That’s not justice—that’s tyranny wrapped in a robe.”

Rep. Brandon Gill, who first announced plans for the impeachment resolution, echoed Donalds’ outrage in a statement posted to social media. “Judge Boasberg’s conduct is incompatible with the principles of judicial impartiality,” Gill wrote.

“He has authorized unconstitutional surveillance, enabled prosecutorial overreach, and eroded public confidence in the rule of law. It’s time for accountability.”

Gill’s resolution reportedly includes several specific charges, including abuse of judicial authority, violation of the Fourth Amendment, and conduct unbecoming a federal judge.

The articles allege that Boasberg knowingly approved unlawful surveillance operations that violated the privacy rights of elected officials and American citizens.

If filed, this would mark the first impeachment effort against a federal judge in more than a decade and one of the rare instances in U.S. history where such proceedings were initiated on grounds of political bias rather than corruption or misconduct.

The effort has already garnered strong backing from members of the House Freedom Caucus, who have long accused the federal judiciary of double standards in its handling of cases involving conservatives.

"The same courts that let violent rioters walk free are the ones throwing the book at parents, Trump supporters, and pro-life activists,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). “We’re done pretending it’s equal justice under the law.”

Within hours of Donalds’ remarks, the announcement had electrified conservative circles online, with prominent Republican commentators, legal analysts, and grassroots activists flooding social media with calls to “impeach Boasberg now.”

Supporters framed the move as a long-overdue pushback against what they see as years of unchecked judicial activism and partisanship in the nation’s capital.

Boasberg’s defenders, however, dismissed the accusations as political theater. Legal experts aligned with the left argued that his approvals of surveillance and subpoenas were lawful under federal procedure and necessary to investigate potential election-related crimes.

“Federal judges do not act independently of the law,” one former DOJ official said. “These orders were reviewed, signed, and authorized in accordance with established standards.”

But House Republicans reject that claim, citing a growing body of evidence that suggests political motivations behind the Arctic Frost probe and other Biden-era investigations.

“Every document we’ve uncovered points to a pattern—partisans inside the DOJ and FBI using the courts to advance political objectives,” Donalds said. “Boasberg didn’t stop it. He enabled it.”

The timing of the impeachment effort is significant. It comes amid multiple parallel investigations by the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees into the Department of Justice and FBI, including allegations that the agencies coordinated with the Biden White House to monitor Republican officials and conservative media figures.

Chairman Jim Jordan has vowed to subpoena both current and former Justice Department officials involved in Arctic Frost and related surveillance requests.

“The walls are closing in on this corruption,” Jordan said during a press briefing. “If a judge is signing off on unlawful spying orders against senators, congressmen, and political candidates, that’s not just misconduct—it’s criminal. The American people will not stand for it.”

As news of the impending impeachment spread, Judge Boasberg declined to issue a public statement, and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts said it does not comment on pending congressional actions.

However, former colleagues of Boasberg have reportedly begun quietly contacting the media to defend his integrity, describing him as “by-the-book” and “unfailingly professional.” But for House Republicans, the issue is no longer about personality—it’s about precedent.

“This isn’t personal,” Donalds emphasized. “It’s about restoring accountability. When a judge sides with partisan prosecutors to target political opponents, he undermines everything the Constitution stands for.”

He also tied the scandal to what he described as a broader pattern of Democratic overreach. “And once again, it demonstrates the lengths to which Democrats will go to keep political power in the United States. This is not about justice. This is not about the American people. This is about their endless desire to remain in control.”

Donalds pointed to the ongoing government shutdown fight as another example of that obsession with power.

“Look at what’s happening right now,” he said. “Democrats are willing to hold up funding for the military, food stamps, and small businesses just to score political points. They don’t care what lever they have to pull or how much harm they cause. It’s always about power first, second, and third—not the American people, not the Constitution.”

Legal analysts note that impeaching a federal judge is a complex process requiring a majority vote in the House and a two-thirds conviction vote in the Senate.

While the Democratic-controlled upper chamber would almost certainly block removal, Republicans argue that the process itself is a necessary act of accountability.

“Even if it dies in the Senate, it puts the spotlight where it belongs—on corruption,” said Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO). “The American people deserve to see who stands for justice and who stands for power.”

The impeachment effort could also have political ramifications far beyond Washington. It may energize conservative voters who have grown increasingly distrustful of the nation’s institutions, particularly the courts.

Recent polls show Republican confidence in the justice system has fallen to historic lows, with over 70 percent of GOP voters saying they believe the courts are politically biased.

If Republicans move forward, it will mark the second major judicial confrontation of the 2020s, following the years-long fallout over FISA abuses uncovered during the Trump-Russia investigation.

Then, as now, internal FBI communications revealed that judges on the secret surveillance court were misled or complicit in approving politically motivated investigations. “History is repeating itself,” Donalds warned. “But this time, we’re not going to sit back and watch it happen.”

In the coming days, the House Judiciary Committee is expected to hold hearings examining Boasberg’s rulings, his prior work with the intelligence court, and his involvement in authorizing surveillance of political officials.

If Gill introduces the articles as planned, they will likely accuse Boasberg of “betraying his oath of office by enabling unlawful surveillance for political purposes.”

For now, the Capitol is bracing for another partisan clash. But among conservatives, there is a growing sense that something deeper is at stake. “This isn’t just about one judge,” Donalds concluded.

“It’s about saving the integrity of our Republic. If we allow this kind of behavior to go unpunished, we will have surrendered the very freedoms that generations of Americans fought and died for. The line has to be drawn—and it gets drawn right here.”