Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is facing a tricky path forward as President Trump and Elon Musk publicly — and persistently — push for the impeachment of the judge who directed flights carrying Venezuelan migrants to be turned around.

Trump ignited a controversial campaign this week when he said U.S. District Judge James Boasberg — whom he dubbed a “troublemaker and agitator” — should be impeached, which Musk and other Republican lawmakers joined in on. Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) quickly heeded the president’s calls, introducing an article of impeachment against Boasberg that charges him with “abuse of power.”

The push, to be sure, has virtually no chance of success, with a number of House moderates casting doubt on the idea, and a supermajority — 67 votes — needed to approve the effort in the Senate. At least 14 Democrats would have to join all Republicans in supporting conviction.

But if Trump and Musk press on with their push for the impeachment proceedings — and if a lawmaker forces a vote on the legislation — Johnson could be pushed into a corner, weighing the importance of appeasing the president against protecting his members from what could be a politically difficult vote.

The Speaker, for his part, is walking that fine line carefully. A Johnson spokesperson told The Hill this week that the top lawmaker is looking forward to “working with the Judiciary Committee as they review all available options under the Constitution to address this urgent matter.”

“Activist judges with political agendas pose a significant threat to the rule of law, equal justice, and the separation of powers,” the spokesperson added.

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), meanwhile, was more direct. The longtime conservative said “all options are still on the table” when asked by CNN’s Kasie Hunt on Wednesday if Boasberg, an Obama appointee, should be impeached.

“Well, normally, as........

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