Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ) has announced he is drafting articles of impeachment against U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer.
Taking to social media platform X, Rep. Crane expressed his dismay, accusing Judge Engelmayer of partisan behavior and judicial overreach that threatens the foundational principles of American democracy.
“I’m drafting articles of impeachment for US District Judge Paul Engelmayer,” Crane wrote.
“Partisan judges abusing their positions is a threat to democracy. The left has done “irreparable harm” to this country. President Trump and his team at DOGE are trying to fix it,” he added.
“This is obviously judicial overreach. Judge Engelmayer is attempting to stop White House employees from accessing the very systems they oversee. Where in the constitution does it say a President and his team cannot root out obvious waste, fraud and abuse?”
This is obviously judicial overreach.
Judge Engelmayer is attempting to stop White House employees from accessing the very systems they oversee.
Where in the constitution does it say a President and his team cannot root out obvious waste, fraud and abuse?
— Rep. Eli Crane (@RepEliCrane) February 11, 2025
On Sunday, Elon Musk called for the impeachment of Engelmayer after his controversial decision to block the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing a crucial Treasury payment system.
Obama appointee Judge Paul A. Engelmayer issued an ex parte temporary restraining order that restricted access to Treasury systems exclusively to “civil servants,” explicitly excluding “all political appointees” from accessing these systems.
Ex parte means that lawyers from the Trump administration were not notified, not permitted to present arguments, and not present in the courtroom. Only attorneys general from the Democratic party were allowed to participate, guaranteeing a biased decision.
Judge Engelmayer’s ruling, prompted by a lawsuit from 19 far-left state attorneys general led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, claims that DOGE’s access to Treasury systems poses risks of “disclosure of sensitive and confidential information” and increases the “risk that the systems in question will be more vulnerable than before to hacking.”
Moreover, Engelmayer’s ruling also mandates the immediate destruction of any information that may have been copied or downloaded by Musk’s DOGE team since January 20, the date Trump was inaugurated.
This order will remain in effect until a further hearing is scheduled for February 14, when the court will consider whether to extend or modify the restraining order.
