Phill Kline

Legal Expert Phill Kline Warns Republicans Against Partaking in Lawfare

Feb 27, 2025

Phill Kline, former Kansas Attorney General and current law professor at Liberty University School of Law, warned Republicans against partaking in the left’s abuse of the judicial system, specifically when it comes to the recent filings of impeachment against federal judges.

This week, Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) said he was filing articles of impeachment against U.S. District Judge Amir H. Ali and U.S. District Judge John Bates.

Earlier this month, Bates ordered the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to restore webpages promoting gender ideology that were removed in compliance with an executive order signed by Trump.

On Tuesday, Ali ruled in two cases both brought by nonprofits that perform foreign assistance work with federal grant money that the Trump administration must release billions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid by midnight on Wednesday.

Other Republican congressmen have also drafted impeachment articles against U.S. District Judge Paul Adam Engelmayer and U.S. District Judge John McConnell in recent weeks.

Kline (pictured above) said that while he doesn’t necessarily agree with the judge’s decisions in cases brought against the Trump administration, he warned Republicans against using impeachment and participating in lawfare.

Discussing Ogles’ articles of impeachment against Bates, Kline called the effort “reckless,” explaining how the judge’s ruling is not of proper grounds to call for impeachment.

“I don’t think the articles really say anything. In fact, they say the judge is obviously biased against Trump and therefore he ought to be impeached. That’s a reckless use of impeachment. I think the American people are tired of that,” Kline said on Wednesday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.

“We should not engage in what we believe are means that diminish how our government should function. The left has been doing it for years and I realize the frustration with it, but if we engage in the same acts that are destroying the basic fabric of our government, then we become them, which is exactly what they want,” Kline added.

Pivoting to the impeachment articles against Ali, Kline warned that the criticism of the judge because he was born in Canada and clerked for the Supreme Court of Canada is another example of Republicans stooping to the left’s level of “cancel culture.”

“We have to cancel cancel culture. Cancel culture is assaulting the identity of another human being, rather than speaking about the substance of the issues which we face in this nation. It’s not productive to engage in,” Kline said.

Kline went on to urge Republicans to allow the process of the judicial system to work out and continue to be the party that respects and upholds law and order, noting, “The left’s lawfare is destroying the rule of law in this country. We shouldn’t participate, we should oppose it.”

“I’m fully supportive of President Trump, of his boldness. I believe they have a good argument, that they have the authority under the law, but that doesn’t mean that all of the opposition arguments are baseless under the law,” Kline said.

“We have to be the party of law and order…Our court system, our separation of powers, all of those functions have to be respected. Additionally, we are a nation that allows for a free flow of ideas and debate. We shouldn’t use intimidations and threats like the Biden administration did in trying to silence people. Dishonesty, when you allege it based on ideological differences, what you’re saying is the other side may have the right to hold their opinion,” Kline added.

Watch the full hour:

– – –

Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.