WATCH: Bill Barr blasts judges for trying to ‘usurp’ presidential authority on most critical issue
Former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr, who served during President Donald Trump’s first administration, is calling out federal district judges for trying to “usurp” the president’s authority and responsibility to deal with national security
A report at Fox News explained Barr said, “The president is absolutely right to be frustrated and concerned about the way the courts are handling this.”
His comments came on the topic of deporting illegal alien criminals, which Trump has been pursuing. At least one judge, James Boasberg, has tried to halt those deportation’s by claiming the illegal aliens must be given hearings, despite a federal law allowing Trump’s actions.
Boasberg also has tried to demand secret national security information from the White House, which responded with a “no.”
Barr explained to Fox that Boasberg’s ruling goes beyond the judge’s authority and interferes with the president’s constitutional powers.
“The Constitution gives the president the power to make the judgments about how we deal with foreign nationals when we are animated by national security concerns. It’s his call, not a district court judge’s call.”
Boasberg previously had established a record of leftist activism from the bench, including demanding more severe penalties than the law allowed for J6 protesters.
An appeals court heard arguments on a White House request to overturn Boasberg’s demands on Monday, and the judges appeared divided with Patricia Millett taking the leftist approach, insisting that, “Nazis got better treatment under the Alien Enemy Act than has happened here.”
Barr explained part of the issue is the nationwide injunctions coming like confetti from local judges.
“Even where it’s appropriate for the court to play its traditional role of safeguarding the liberties of American citizens, we have this phenomena of nation-wide injunctions where the lowest level judge, district judges, try to bind the entire nation and bind the president in their initial decision. That is not what we have meant by the judicial power under our Constitution,” he said.