Emil Bove to the courts: 'F--- you,' whistle-blower says (Live with Vicky Ward)

Editor’s Note:

All Rise News is planning special coverage from Nashville for a hearing to determine pre-trial release conditions for Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Check below this dispatch for a preview of the proceedings and an added benefit for paid subscribers.

On the cusp of his Senate confirmation hearing for a federal judgeship, former Donald Trump criminal defense attorney Emil Bove was quoted by a whistle-blower literally telling the judiciary: “F—k you.”

Bove, currently a senior Justice Department official, hopes to be confirmed to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, but his former subordinate Erez Reuveni just went public with allegations that he urged prosecutors to flout court orders in his quest to advance Trump’s immigration agenda.

Reuveni was fired after he admitted in a federal court hearing that Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s expulsion to a terrorism prison in El Salvador was a mistake. The ex-Justice Department attorney sent his explosive report to the leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees on Tuesday — and forwarded copies to the Justice Department’s inspector general and the Office of the Special Counsel.

The profane quotation came in a section of the report describing a Justice Department meeting before an Alien Enemies Act hearing in March before U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who would later order the flights to El Salvador to turn back to the United States.

At the time, the Trump administration ignored the order, and Reuveni says that was by design.

“Bove then made a remark concerning the possibility that a court order would enjoin those removals before they could be effectuated. Bove stated that DOJ would need to consider telling the courts ‘f—k you’ and ignore any such court order,” the 35-page report states, leaving the word unredacted in original. “Mr. Reuveni perceived that others in the room looked stunned, and he observed awkward, nervous glances among people in the room. Silence overtook the room. Mr. Reuveni and others were quickly ushered out of the room. Notwithstanding Bove's directive, Mr. Reuveni left the meeting understanding that DOJ would tell DHS to follow all court orders.”

“Mr. Reuveni was stunned by Bove's statement because, to Mr. Reuveni's knowledge, no one in DOJ leadership - in any Administration - had ever suggested the Department of Justice could blatantly ignore court orders, especially with a ‘f—k you,’” it continues.

Bove is slated to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday at 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is Bove’s current boss and was his co-counsel in the Trump criminal cases, denied the allegations and attacked the New York Times for their reporting on the clearly newsworthy document. The Justice Department impugns Reuveni as a disgruntled former employee, but Reuveni notes that he vocally defended Trump’s immigration policies during his first term. He also says that he has evidence backing up his account.

Even before the release of the report, Bove would have faced sharp scrutiny for the rush of resignations from federal prosecutors who said that he pressured them to take politically motivated or unjustified actions in the cases of New York City Mayor Eric Adams or investigation into green banks awarded grants under Biden’s signature Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

Read the whistle-blower report in full here.

Investigative journalist Vicky Ward and I discuss it in the video above, along with updates on the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and more.

On Wednesday, All Rise News will be reporting live from federal court in Nashville, Tennessee, for a hearing where a judge will determine what conditions of release are warranted for Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The proceedings will begin at 2 p.m. Central Time, and I will also attend a press conference at 10 a.m. CT convened by organizers associated with Abrego’s family.

The judge recently issued a scathing ruling denying the government’s request for a hearing to keep Abrego detained, finding that the prosecution’s case relied largely on “unreliable” accounts by two cooperating witnesses whose allegations “defy common sense.”

Read more about that ruling here.

Prosecutors say that even if Abrego is released on bail, immigration authorities may take him into custody for deportation. I’ll be in court to learn whether the judge orders Abrego’s release immediately, and if so, whether he will be taken into immigration custody immediately in front of his wife and supporters.

In addition to our regular coverage, I will also hold a Zoom Q&A for paid subscribers about what happened in court at 7 p.m. Central Daylight Time. The connection information is below the paywall.