On the September 30, 2026 episode of MS NOW’s Deadline: White House, Nicolle Wallace called criticism of Judge James Boasberg a smear.
“Well, as you said Judge Schiltz is a Bush appointee. Judge Boasberg—they are in a full on reputational assault campaign, one sided. He’s not assailed the reputation of anyone in the Trump administration, but they’re smearing him. They’ve rendered him a target for their own political retribution.”
On March 15, 2025, Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to turn around planes already carrying Tren de Aragua members being removed under the Alien Enemies Act. The flights continued to El Salvador, where the detainees were transferred to CECOT prison. He then opened a contempt inquiry.
Immigration removal proceedings are not criminal trials, and district judges do not run immigration enforcement.
On April 7, 2025, the Supreme Court vacated Boasberg’s orders and ruled that Washington was the wrong venue for those challenges. Despite that ruling, Boasberg pursued a contempt inquiry, arguing that officials could still be held accountable for allegedly violating the order before it was overturned.
On April 14, 2026, a divided D.C. Circuit panel called his contempt investigation a “clear abuse of discretion.” The full court reheard that dispute on September 29; the outcome remains unresolved.
MS NOW and Nicolle Wallace want viewers focused on an alleged smear campaign against a judge. What did that judge actually do? Boasberg ordered deportation planes carrying Tren de Aragua members turned around. Higher courts later found serious problems with his orders and contempt investigation.
Same pattern as always: defend the Democrat-appointed judge, defend the illegal aliens, and paint the administration enforcing immigration law as the threat.
So who runs immigration enforcement—the administration we elected to deport illegal aliens, especially gang members, or an unelected judge in D.C.?
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