Ahead of Mr. Bove’s confirmation vote, there are now three troubling whistleblower complaints against the nominee
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered a speech on the Senate floor denouncing the nomination of Emil Bove to serve as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. In his remarks, Durbin summarized Mr. Bove’s disqualifying record, from ordering the dismissal of career federal prosecutors who worked on January 6 cases to striking a corrupt deal with New York City Mayor Eric Adams to further President Trump’s extremist agenda.
Three whistleblowers have come forward with credible allegations of Mr. Bove’s disqualifying conduct, including his suggestion that the Trump Administration is not required to comply with federal court orders.
“He [Mr. Bove] came and answered a questionnaire, as he should, for the White House as well as for the Judiciary Committee and then appeared before us under oath and answered questions. What was unusual about this situation is that many questions that he tried to answer, he didn’t get close to coming to the truth. So egregious were his statements that individuals who worked with him were willing to risk their career in public service to come forward as whistleblowers to members of the Committee and Congress to tell them that Mr. Bove had misrepresented the facts before us,” Durbin said. “But it seems that when given a test of values and ethics, time and again, Mr. Bove fails, and those around him step forward and risk their own careers to tell the truth.”
Durbin then laid out Mr. Bove’s troubling record as a senior official in the Justice Department, noting that he continues to be loyal to President Trump’s agenda over the Constitution and rule of law.
“Like other individuals President Trump has installed in the highest positions of our government during his second term, Mr. Bove’s primary qualification appears to be his blind loyalty to this President. As Acting Deputy Attorney General, Mr. Bove personally ordered the terminations of dozens of career federal prosecutors who worked to put violent January 6 offenders behind bars,” Durbin said. “Mr. Bove even made the outrageous claim that the prosecutions of January 6 rioters were ‘a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people.’ He doubled down on this sentiment during his confirmation process—and further insulted the law enforcement officers who kept us safe from those rioters.”
“In response to a question before our Committee, Mr. Bove wrote that the ‘heavy-handed tactics’ by January 6 prosecutors were ‘equally unacceptable’ as rioters’ attacks on the police… I pointed this out to my Republican colleagues—that a man seeking a lifetime appointment to the federal bench believes that those who prosecute cop beaters are as bad as the cop beaters themselves. Expecting my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to react as I have this morning, what did I get? Crickets, silence, no response,” Durbin continued.
Durbin also described Mr. Bove’s involvement in New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ case, in which Mr. Bove attempted to strike a corrupt bargain with Mayor Adams in return for his commitment to executing President Trump’s extreme immigration agenda.
“[Mr. Bove] personally led the Administration’s attempt to strike a corrupt bargain with New York City Mayor Eric Adams by offering to drop his pending prosecution in exchange for Mayor Adams’ cooperation on President Trump’s immigration policies. Get that straight. Investigations of corruption on the Mayor of New York City, the response from the Trump Administration from Mr. Emil Bove was, we’ll cut a deal with you. We won’t prosecute you if you promise to play ball with us when it comes to mass deportations,” Durbin said.
“In response to Mr. Bove’s alleged quid pro quo, several federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, including the U.S. Attorney herself, a staunch conservative who clerked forJustice Scalia and was appointed to the position by President Trump, made it clear that they would not participate in Emil Bove’s deal with the Mayor of New York,” Durbin said.
Durbin then recounted the details of whistleblower complaints, which centered on Mr. Bove’s blatant disregard for the rule of law. Erez Reuveni, former Acting Deputy Director for the Office of Immigration Litigation at the Department of Justice, came forward with credible accounts of misconduct by Mr. Bove. Durbin asked for details to support his complaint, and in response, Mr. Reuveni provided text messages, emails, and a trove of other documents corroborating his claim that Mr. Bove had both suggested the possibility of violating court orders and had spearheaded efforts to mislead federal judges.
“Last month, Erez Reuveni, a career DOJ attorney who defended the first Trump Administration’s immigration policies in court, filed a whistleblower complaint with my office. According to Mr. Reuveni, Mr. Bove told other Department attorneys that they might need to say, ‘f--- you’ to federal courts that issued orders which the Trump Administration disagreed with,” Durbin continued.
“Remarkably, when he was under oath before the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Bove could not deny that he had delivered such a message. He merely said he did not recall… the explicit language. So I asked Mr. Reuveni, the whistleblower, to substantiate his claims,” Durbin said.
Durbin urged U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to call Mr. Reuveni to testify under oath. Durbin’s request was denied, despite the collection of documents provided by Mr. Reuveni giving credibility to his claims.
“Mr. Reuveni is apparently not alone. According to public reporting, another whistleblower filed a complaint with the Justice Department’s Inspector General that further backs up his [Mr. Reuveni’s] allegations. My office is working to obtain a copy of that complaint filed with the Inspector General. The contents of that complaint are one of many unanswered questions regarding Bove’s conduct,” Durbin said.
“It appears my Republican colleagues fear the answers. That is the only reason I can see for their insistence on forcing this nomination through at breakneck speed before all the facts are public,” Durbin said.
“In addition to the outstanding Inspector General complaint, we have absolutely no idea how involved Mr. Bove has been in the Trump Administration’s Jeffrey Epstein coverup. As I have noted previously, it was very convenient for Senate Republicans that Attorney General Bondi did not announce her plan to keep the Epstein files hidden until shortly after Mr. Bove’s obligation to answer questions under oath had passed,” Durbin said. “So my colleagues and I sent him follow-up questions to assess his involvement. No surprise, he refused to answer.”
Durbin concluded his remarks by calling on his Republican colleagues to vote against the confirmation of Mr. Bove, whose unfettered loyalty to President Trump and history of rejecting the rule of law disqualifies him from serving on the federal bench.
“President Trump himself has made it clear that Mr. Bove was selected for this position not because of his legal accomplishments, or his dedication to a conservative method of constitutional interpretation. As the President put it, Mr. Bove will ‘do anything…that is necessary to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.’ I strongly urge my colleagues to consider the implications of giving this man, Emil Bove, a lifetime seat on the federal bench. Join me in opposing his nomination,” Durbin concluded his speech.
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
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