Firestorm Hits Trump Judicial Nominee: Whistleblower Alleges Call to Defy Court Orders Just Before Hearing
Firestorm Hits Trump Judicial Nominee: Whistleblower Alleges Call to Defy Court Orders Just Before Hearing
A bombshell whistleblower complaint has rocked the confirmation prospects of a top Justice Department official nominated by former President Trump to a federal appeals court. Just hours before his scheduled Senate confirmation hearing, Principal Assistant Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove is facing explosive allegations that he suggested the DOJ might need to “ignore court orders” in its efforts to deport Venezuelan migrants.
The complaint, made public Tuesday by former government lawyer Erez Reuveni, claims Bove used profanity and explicitly suggested defying judicial mandates during a March meeting concerning Trump’s plans to invoke the Alien Enemies Act against alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Reuveni alleges he was “stunned” by Bove’s statement, asserting that no one in DOJ leadership had ever contemplated such a blatant disregard for the rule of law.
Reuveni, who served nearly 15 years at the Justice Department, further contends he was pushed out and publicly disparaged after resisting what he describes as efforts to violate court orders through “lack of candor, deliberate delay and disinformation.” He specifically cites an incident involving the deportation of Salvadoran man Kilmar Abrego Garcia, where he refused to sign an appeal brief he deemed “contrary to law, frivolous, and untrue.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has vehemently denied Reuveni’s allegations, calling them “utterly false.” Blanche, who claims he was present at the March meeting, stated, “at no time did anyone suggest a court order should not be followed.” He further dismissed the timing of the complaint as a “false hit piece” strategically planted a day before Bove’s confirmation hearing.
Bove, nominated last month to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, was already expected to face tough questioning. Democrats have previously raised concerns about his actions, including his order to dismiss New York Mayor Eric Adams’ corruption case, his accusation of “insubordination” against FBI officials for refusing to hand over names of Jan. 6 investigators, and his role in ordering the firings of prosecutors involved in Jan. 6 criminal cases.
Senator Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, immediately seized on the new allegations, stating they are part of a “broader pattern by President Trump and his allies to undermine the Justice Department’s commitment to the rule of law.” Durbin commended Reuveni for speaking up and urged his Republican colleagues not to “turn a blind eye to the dire consequences of confirming Mr. Bove to a lifetime position as a circuit court judge.”
The serious nature of these claims, surfacing on the eve of a crucial confirmation hearing, sets the stage for an intense day of questioning and puts the integrity of the Justice Department and the sanctity of judicial independence squarely in the spotlight.
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