Judge James E. Boasberg has come under scrutiny following reports that he approved gag orders and subpoenas in former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost investigation. Republican critics have voiced strong opposition, with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) calling for sanctions and even impeachment over Boasberg’s perceived judicial overreach. Boasberg signed the gag orders and subpoenas shortly after the D.C. court assigned grand-jury oversight, having previously partially approved media requests to unseal redacted materials in the same probe.
Cruz stated, “This order is an abuse of power, this order is a weaponized legal system.” He said, “If a judge signs an order reaching a factual conclusion for which there is zero evidence whatsoever, that judge is abusing his power.”