Bondi Drops Bombshell About Justice Kavanaugh’s Attempted Assasin

Attorney General Pam Bondi delivered firm testimony before the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, making clear that Nicholas Roske — the man convicted of attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his Maryland home in 2022 — will not serve his sentence in a women’s prison, despite his claims of a transgender identity.

Bondi’s statement came amid widespread outrage after a Biden-appointed federal judge, Deborah Boardman, sentenced Roske — a biological male identifying as female — to only eight years in prison, far less than the 30-year sentence sought by the Department of Justice.

“Senator, that’s not going to happen,” Bondi said firmly when asked by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) about reports that the court considered placing Roske in a women’s correctional facility. “That’s not going to happen in the Bureau of Prisons now.”

Bondi added that the Justice Department will appeal the lenient sentence immediately, saying the ruling “does not reflect the horrific facts of this case.”

In her decision, Judge Deborah Boardman, appointed to the federal bench by President Joe Biden, said she took into account Roske’s transgender identity — and expressed concern that under President Donald J. Trump’s Bureau of Prisons policy, inmates are classified by biological sex rather than gender identity. Boardman cited fears that Roske would be denied cross-sex hormone treatments if placed in a men’s facility.

Her ruling shocked prosecutors and legal observers alike.

The eight-year sentence fell dramatically short of the punishment sought by federal prosecutors, who argued Roske’s plot — arriving at Kavanaugh’s home armed and admitting intent to kill the justice — warranted a three-decade prison term. Roske’s defense claimed he showed remorse and “cooperated with authorities,” a factor the judge used to justify leniency.

Legal experts across the spectrum called the decision a miscarriage of justice.

Conservative legal strategist Mike Davis, a former chief counsel for judicial nominations under Sen. Chuck Grassley, blasted Boardman on X:

“Maryland U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman—a Biden appointee—is a national disgrace. She only sentenced to 8 years, instead of 30, someone who attempted to murder Justice Kavanaugh and his family in their home. Make no mistake: Today’s Democrats want conservatives killed.”

Other commentators were equally scathing. Author M.A. Rothman wrote,

“A guy who showed up at a Supreme Court Justice’s house armed and ready to k*ll him just got a lighter sentence than some people get for tax crimes — and the judge turned it into a trans acceptance story. This is beyond parody.”

Another user fumed that Boardman’s decision “factored in his gender identity to give him a lighter sentence,” calling it “insanity dressed up as compassion.”

Bondi made clear that the Biden-appointed judge’s rationale will not stand.

“The attempted assassination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was a disgusting attack against our entire judicial system by a profoundly disturbed individual,” Bondi wrote on X. “@TheJusticeDept will be appealing the woefully insufficient sentence imposed by the district court, which does not reflect the horrific facts of this case.”

Judge Boardman, who served as a federal public defender before joining the bench, was first appointed as a magistrate judge in 2019, then elevated by Biden to U.S. District Judge for Maryland in 2021.

Roske’s attempted assassination of Justice Kavanaugh came amid a wave of left-wing threats following the Supreme Court’s draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. His plot was foiled only when he called 911 on himself, admitting he traveled to Kavanaugh’s home with a firearm and burglary tools.

Bondi’s decisive testimony underscores the Trump administration’s commitment to restoring equal justice under law — ensuring that violent offenders are punished based on their crimes, not their gender identity or political alignment.

“Justice means accountability,” Bondi said. “We will not allow ideology to override the rule of law.”