In a moment thick with political irony and heated rhetoric, Republican California Rep. Darrell Issa took a pointed jab at Democrat Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett during a House Oversight Committee hearing this week—reminding her of her prior support for impeaching conservative judges after she’d just delivered a fiery defense of judicial independence.
The flashpoint came during a debate over Republican Rep. Brandon Gill’s newly filed articles of impeachment against U.S. District Judge James Boasberg. Crockett, passionately defending the role of the judiciary, warned that undermining judges threatened the very notion of law and order.
“The problem that we have right now is that if we continue down this road, then we will not have a rule of law because we have people and they’re saying things like ‘ignore the judges’ order,’” Crockett said. “What it means to have law and order in this country is that you follow the order and you go through the appeals process even if you dislike what the judge did.”
But the moment she yielded her time, Issa stepped in—with receipts.
Issa pointed out that Crockett had co-sponsored articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito just months earlier. Those articles, spearheaded by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in July 2024, alleged ethical violations and conflicts of interest. Crockett stood among 18 co-sponsors. The glaring contradiction was hard to ignore: Crockett had, by Issa’s argument, advocated for impeaching judges she disagreed with politically, while now decrying similar actions from the other side.
know her, filed articles of impeachment on Justice Thomas and Alito, Ms. Crockett was one of the co-sponsors along with [Democrat Tennessee Rep. Steve] Cohen, both members of this committee,” Issa said. “It does seem interesting that when the shoe was on the other foot, everyone is self-righteous. And I think this is a good example. For the last three hours, I have had to listen to one side talk about impeachment as though it was a nature of this hearing. It is not.”
This clash wasn’t just about personal contradictions—it exposed a deeper fracture in how lawmakers apply the rules of governance. Gill’s impeachment push stems from Boasberg’s March ruling blocking a mass deportation of gang members under the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century statute invoked by President Trump. According to the White House, the deportation flights had already departed before the ruling, rendering Boasberg’s intervention moot in practice but highly symbolic in law.
🚨This is a must-watch.
Jasmine Crockett just went on a rant about how it’s so bad that @RepBrandonGill filed articles of impeachment.
Darrell Issa responded with a truth that Jasmine didn’t want you to know.
“When AOC filed Articles of Impeachment against Justice Thomas and… pic.twitter.com/LVb02vfEx5
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) April 1, 2025
Gill accused the judge of judicial overreach, asserting that Boasberg’s order attempted to usurp Trump’s clear constitutional authority as commander in chief. The deportations involved over 200 gang members, including those from the notoriously brutal Tren de Agua and MS-13. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later confirmed the transfer of 17 individuals to El Salvador in what he called a “successful counter-terrorism operation.”
As Democrats rail against Republican efforts to intimidate the judiciary and Republicans point to past Democratic maneuvers as precedent, the fight over judicial integrity has veered into overtly political territory. Issa’s sharp rebuttal was more than a gotcha moment—it was a reminder that consistency is a rare commodity in the halls of Congress.
