What happened
Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official and President Donald Trump's former criminal defense attorney, actively encouraged government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders, recently dismissed DOJ immigration litigator Erez Reuveni alleged Tuesday in a whistleblower complaint to lawmakers. Trump has nominated Bove for a lifetime seat on the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals.
Who said what
According to Reuveni's complaint, Bove told federal lawyers in a March 14 meeting that if the courts threw up roadblocks to Trump's plan to rapidly deport migrants using the Alien Enemies Act, the DOJ "would need to consider telling the courts 'f---- you'" and "ignore any such order." That episode was followed by a "series of attempts by DOJ officials to thwart court orders in at least three immigration-related cases," said Politico.
Bove's boss, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, called Reuveni's allegations "falsehoods purportedly made by a disgruntled former employee." But Reuveni's filing "suggests a copious trail of emails, texts and phone records that would support" his claims, The New York Times said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
As "Trump's enforcer" at the DOJ, Bove "has repeatedly rankled and alarmed many career prosecutors," Politico said, and Reuveni's account "seems certain to roil" his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing today. Still, said CNN, it "would be difficult at this time" to coordinate "enough political support among Republicans to block his nomination."
-
Political cartoons for December 14Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include a new White House flag, Venezuela negotiations, and more
-
Heavenly spectacle in the wilds of CanadaThe Week Recommends ‘Mind-bending’ outpost for spotting animals – and the northern lights
-
Facial recognition: a revolution in policingTalking Point All 43 police forces in England and Wales are set to be granted access, with those against calling for increasing safeguards on the technology
-
‘City leaders must recognize its residents as part of its lifeblood’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem might not be long for TrumplandIN THE SPOTLIGHT She has been one of the most visible and vocal architects of Trump’s anti-immigration efforts, even as her own star risks fading
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Will there be peace before Christmas in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Discussions over the weekend could see a unified set of proposals from EU, UK and US to present to Moscow
-
‘The menu’s other highlights smack of the surreal’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
