DHS Lawyer Achieves Rare Bipartisan Win By Uniting 100+ Lawyers and Judges Against Him

Welcome back to Barf Bag. 

If it wasn’t already mind-numbingly clear by the fact that it has detained a five-year-old and a baby in its cruel deportation campaign, the Trump administration is diametrically unable to recognize that the only “worst of the worst” here is… itself.

Alas, that idiocy is contagious, and no example is quite so exemplary as that of Homeland Security General Counsel James Percival, one of DHS’ top lawyers. Because last month, in a career-suicide-shaped attempt to be edgy, Trumpy, and cool, Percival tweeted a “Worst of the Worst, District Judge Edition.”

Dedicating each tweet to the name and an incendiary summary of a select four judges that dared rule against the administration’s anti-immigrant policies, Percival called out Matthew Kennelly, Allison Burroughs, Paula Xinis, and Hernan Vera. Foreseeably, on Tuesday, 128 former lawyers and judges filed an ethics complaint against him for the vileness.

“These statements, and similar statements Mr. Percival has made about other sitting judges, not only constitute serious professional misconduct, but they threaten the rule of law and increase the risk of violence against judges,” the 24-page complaint, filed by Democracy Defenders Fund, reads. “Mr. Percival’s statements go far beyond normal criticism. They are unfounded ad hominem attacks that directly impugn the integrity of four sitting judges.”

The complaint also cites more than 400 threats made against various federal judges this year, that number having climbed nearly 60% in a single year. Hundreds of judges also told PBS earlier this week that they’ve sometimes received “violent threats”—especially egged on by Trump and MAGA, who’ve verbally attacked several judges that ruled to curb their powers.

On cue, Percival’s reaction has been nothing less than a Trump-esque tantrum, with him introducing an ironic new medal against former Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy Quince for being the first signatory on the filing. “I will be creating a new award,” he tweeted. “The award is called the Justice Peggy Quince Lifetime Achievement Award for Worst of the Worst Judging. I am now accepting nominees!” Well, at least he didn’t make a fake award to give to himself, I guess…

If the complaint turns into disciplinary action—which happens about a quarter of the time such a document is filed in Florida—the state’s bar will decide on the appropriate consequences. Hm. I’m willing to think of a few.

More barf:

• Usha Vance stood up for federal judges. Well, kind of. She said they deserve “respect”—without actually naming the guy disrespecting them. (ABC News)
• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy officially released all six episodes of his family reality show, “The Great American Road Trip.” (CNN)
• During said show, Duffy told his daughter—who’s considering applying to Harvard—that the school has “professionalized figuring out how they can take good, young girls like you and, I think, corrupt their minds.” If she takes after her dad, there may be no point applying. (Also CNN)
• Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. struck again. Granola is no longer safe. (The New Republic)
• Alexandria Times journalist James Libresco tried to reach out to Flock—and received back the tech-pilled response of the century. (@james_libresco on Twitter)
• Justice Department officials separated themselves from Attorney General Todd Blanche’s vendetta against James Comey. (CNN)
• A Georgia military unit announced it’s offering a four-day pass for soldiers to brainrot themselves into oblivion and GTA VI, so long as they reenlist. (CBS News)
• Vice President JD Vance uploaded a 14-second video of himself exercising, because apparently, we haven’t been punished enough. (JD Vance on TikTok)