Judiciary chairman says impeachment is ‘on the table’ for anti-Trump judges

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan said impeachment of judges who issue “stupid” rulings thwarting President Trump is “on the table,” though he said Congress needs to explore other options first.

The Ohio Republican, in a wide-ranging interview with The Washington Times, also said other former senior officials could be in line for indictment following that of former FBI Director James Comey. Mr. Jordan specifically named former CIA Director John Brennan.

“It looks to me like he may have misled Congress,” the congressman said. “We are looking at that.”

Any impeachment proceedings would start in Mr. Jordan’s committee. He said that shouldn’t be the first option for judges who have foiled Mr. Trump or otherwise issued troubling rulings, but it’s “on the table” as an eventual option.

“The history of our great country has been you don’t impeach judges for stupid decisions, or bad decisions, what we, and common sense, would say is a poor decision,” he said. “But I don’t think you should rule out impeachment.”

He said the traditional route for dealing with bad decisions is to appeal. And he pointed out that the president has had significant success arguing his cases in circuit courts of appeals and at the Supreme Court, where he’s tallied more than 20 wins for his position.

Several judges, including two in the past couple of weeks, have drawn the ire of Mr. Trump and his backers.

One, Judge William G. Young, a Reagan appointee in Massachusetts, issued a ruling comparing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the Ku Klux Klan and urging the public to “stand up” to the president.

Another, Judge Deborah Boardman, a Biden appointee in Maryland, gave a relatively skimpy eight-year sentence to the person convicted of the attempted assassination of Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh. Federal sentencing guidelines call for a term of 30 years to life in prison. The Justice Department had asked Judge Boardman to deliver at least 30 years.

Judge Boardman said she felt remorse from the convict, Nicholas Roske, who is undergoing a gender-identity transition and using the name Sophie. The judge also suggested the lower sentence was to compensate for what might happen to a transgender person under Trump policy who would be required to serve the time in a men’s prison, commensurate with Roske’s biological sex.

That ruling has drawn calls for impeachment, including by Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican.

Mr. Jordan acknowledged those calls.

“You use every avenue you can, and then if you have to go to impeachment, that’s something that should be on the table,” he said.

Federal judges serve lifetime appointments and can’t be fired, though they can be impeached and, if convicted by the Senate, removed from office.

Thirteen district judges and one Supreme Court justice have been impeached over the years. Half were convicted and booted from office, four were acquitted and three resigned.

As for Cabinet members, in the last Congress, Mr. Jordan oversaw the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. He was acquitted by the Senate in 2024.

Mr. Jordan said his committee is digging into the new revelation this week that Jack Smith, the former special counsel who pursued criminal cases against Mr. Trump, had the FBI obtain phone call data from eight senators and one House member surrounding the events of Jan. 6, 2021. Those include Sens. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania. 

Mr. Jordan’s committee has already deposed several of the lawyers who worked with Mr. Smith, and a subpoena for Mr. Smith himself is an option.

Mr. Jordan suggested Mr. Brennan, the CIA director at the end of the Obama administration, could face charges for lying to Congress.

Mr. Brennan told Mr. Jordan’s committee in 2023 that he learned of the Steele dossier, the salacious and unfounded rumors that helped launch the discredited Russia collusion case against Mr. Trump, from the FBI. Mr. Brennan testified that the CIA “was very much opposed to having any reference or inclusion of the Steele dossier in the Intelligence Community Assessment.”

But a House Intelligence Committee report declassified by the director of National Intelligence said a CIA operative told the committee that Mr. Brennan directed senior agency officials to use the dossier’s information despite knowing it was discredited.

“Yes, but doesn’t it ring true?” Mr. Brennan was quoted as saying.

In testimony last month to Mr. Jordan, FBI Director Kash Patel said there was an “ongoing investigation” into the way Obama officials shaped and misused the dossier.

Mr. Jordan also said the new charges against Mr. Comey, including lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding, were “appropriate.”