In a letter to Chairman Grassley, SJC Democrats: “Mr. Reuveni has made credible allegations against Mr. Bove, which, if true, clearly disqualify him for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench. Thus, it is imperative that the Committee hear from Mr. Reuveni, under oath, before we vote on Mr. Bove’s nomination.”
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led all Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats in calling for Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to schedule a hearing to collect testimony from Erez Reuveni, the former Acting Deputy Director for the Office of Immigration Litigation at the Department of Justice, who recently disclosed serious misconduct allegations and further documentation regarding judicial nominee Emil Bove.
In a letter to Grassley, the Senators wrote: “We respectfully request that you call Erez Reuveni to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee prior to the Committee’s vote on the nomination of Emil J. Bove III to be a U.S. Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Mr. Reuveni has made credible allegations against Mr. Bove, which, if true, clearly disqualify him for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench. Thus, it is imperative that the Committee hear from Mr. Reuveni, under oath, before we vote on Mr. Bove’s nomination.”
The Senators then cited Mr. Reuveni’s document production related to J.G.G. v. Trump, Abrego Garcia v. Noem, and D.V.D. v. DHS, writing: “Documentation provided by Mr. Reuveni demonstrates that he unsuccessfully attempted to secure government compliance with court orders in three separate cases being overseen by Mr. Bove in his role as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General.”
The Senators concluded by highlighting the importance of understanding Mr. Bove’s role in these concerning episodes before voting on his judicial nomination and requested testimony, writing: “Mr. Bove repeatedly gestured at but never invoked deliberative process privilege at his hearing and in answers to written questions, undermining our ability to assess whether Mr. Bove engaged in the alleged misconduct and continuing executive branch officials’ use of ‘non-assertion’ assertions of privilege to defy congressional inquiries. Calling Mr. Reuveni to testify under oath will allow members of this Committee to appraise the veracity of his claims while defending the Committee’s prerogative to assess Mr. Bove’s qualifications…It is critical that this Committee understands the full scope of Mr. Bove’s actions at the Justice Department prior to voting on his nomination to a lifetime appointment on the federal bench. Given that Mr. Reuveni is willing to testify regarding this matter, we urge you to invite him before the Committee before proceeding to a vote on Mr. Bove’s nomination.”
For a PDF of the letter to Chairman Grassley, click here.
Following Mr. Bove’s judicial nomination hearing, Durbin requested documents from Mr. Reuveni in a private letter to his attorneys regarding his allegations. Durbin also led all Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats in further investigation of the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Defense regarding Mr. Reuveni’s accounts.
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