President Trump said he would never defy a court order but signaled he is willing to go after judges who defy his deportation plans or other parts of his agenda.
Mr. Trump said he’s had a bad personal experience in the courts, bemoaning “crooked judges.”
But Fox News host Laura Ingraham wanted to know if he would ever defy a court order.
“I never did defy a court order,” Mr.Trump said in the interview that aired Tuesday night.
“And you wouldn’t in the future?” Ms. Ingraham said.
“No, you can’t do that,” the president said. “However, we have bad judges. We have very bad judges. These are judges that shouldn’t be allowed. I think at a certain point, you have to look at, what do you do when you have a rogue judge?”
SEE ALSO: Trump calls for impeachment of judge who’s blocking deportation flights
Mr. Trump wants to impeach U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, an Obama appointee, for ordering a deportation plane of Venezuelan illegal immigrants to turn around instead of landing in El Salvador.
The Trump team forged ahead with the flight, saying the planes were already in the air, prompting a rebuke and renewed scrutiny from the judge.
Mr. Trump and his GOP allies say the judge should be impeached, and they are generally upset with courts that defy the White House agenda.
The calls for impeachment prompted a rare rebuke from Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.
“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Chief Justice Roberts said. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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