WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump pledged he never has and never will defy a court order while going on to slam the federal judge who ordered a pause in his efforts to invoke a rarely used law to quickly deport migrants he said are affiliated with a Venezuelan gang. 

What You Need To Know

  • President Donald Trump pledged he never has and never will defy a court order while going on to slam the federal judge who ordered a pause in his efforts to invoke a rarely-used law to quickly deport migrants he said are affiliated with a Venezuelan gang
  • Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday significantly ramped up the push back coming from the White House on the judge, James E. Boasberg, and federal judges more broadly, repeatedly referring to them as “partisan activists"
  • The now dayslong legal saga over the deportations and Trump’s growing attention on the judge, James E. Boasberg, which came in the context of a swelling trend among some in the GOP and the president’s allies calling for the impeachment of federal judges who rule against the administration, led Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a rare statement Tuesday

  • Trump had previously told reporters in the Oval Office weeks ago that he would not seek to openly defy a court order but his latest pledge comes in the heat of an influx of questions around whether the administration did so when it sent more than 200 migrants it said are connected to a Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to El Salvador

“I never did defy a court order,” Trump told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham in an interview Tuesday night, before the host followed up to ask if he would in the future. 

“No, you can’t do that,” added the president, was has been found in contempt of court a handful of times in recent years for violating judges' gag orders or not complying with a subpoena.

But Trump, one day after calling for the judge — caught in a still developing legal battle with the White House over the president's use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport migrants — to be impeached, went on to rail against him, referring to him as “rogue” and a “lunatic.” 

“However, we have bad judges, we have very bad judges, and these are judges that shouldn't be allowed,” Trump said. “I think at a certain point you have to start looking at, what do you do when you have a rogue judge?” 

At Wednesday’s news briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated that the administration would comply with orders but significantly ramped up the pushback coming from the Trump administration on the judge, James E. Boasberg, and federal judges more broadly. She repeatedly referred to them as “partisan activists,” calling Boasberg specifically a “Democrat activist,” noting he was appointed by Democratic former President Barack Obama. Boasberg was promoted to the federal bench by Obama but was first made a judge by Republican former President George W. Bush. 

”This is a clear, concerted effort by leftists who don’t like this president that are trying to slow down his agenda,” Leavitt claimed. She did not cite evidence. 

The now dayslong legal saga over the deportations and Trump’s growing attention on the judge, which came in the context of a swelling trend among some in the GOP and the president’s allies calling for the impeachment of federal judges who rule against the administration, led Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a rare statement Tuesday in which he referred to such calls as "not an appropriate response."

Asked about the comment in the Fox News interview, the president noted that Roberts “didn’t mention my name in the statement” and refrained from criticizing the chief justice. 

Later, as Trump was seeking to make the point that nobody knows the courts or has been through legal proceedings like he has, he added that Roberts likely does. 

“I think nobody knows the courts any better than I have,” Trump said. “I would say the chief judge does, but nobody knows them better than I have.”

The president then began to list the multiple legal battles he faced before retaking the White House. 

In an interview on CNN on Wednesday, former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer called Roberts’ statement “informative and educational.” 

Leavitt emphasized that Trump has “great respect” for Roberts, noting he had just told her so in the Oval Office before the briefing. She also made clear that the administration believes it is up to the Supreme Court to address the concerns it has over judges. 

"It's incumbent upon the Supreme Court to rein in these activist judges," she said. "These partisan activists are undermining the judicial branch." 

Trump had previously told reporters in the Oval Office weeks ago that he would not seek to openly defy a court order but his latest pledge comes in the heat of an influx of questions around whether the administration did so when it sent more than 200 migrants it said are connected to  Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to El Salvador over the weekend despite Boasberg ordering a pause in a written order and verbally stating that any planes currently carrying such people should return to the U.S. 

The White House is insisting it did not defy Boasberg’s Saturday evening written order demanding the 14-day pause in the deportations to assess the legality of Trump using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act — which has only been used three times before in history and previously only during times of war — to do so, even as it touted the arrival of migrants in El Salvador on Sunday. On Monday, however, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared to draw a distinction between the written order and Boasberg’s verbal order. 

At Wednesday's press briefing, Leavitt told reporters that the mass deportation campaign will continue amid the legal battle, although she said the administration currently does not have any additional flights planned in particular. 

Trump, in the interview with Fox News, appeared to downplay his knowledge of the order, saying he only heard about it “very late in the process” and adding that his first reaction to it was that it was “strange.”