An ex-Department of Justice (DOJ) attorney has accused high-ranking DOJ official Emil Bove—nominated by President Donald Trump for a federal appeals court judgeship—of advising department lawyers to disregard judicial orders related to immigrations under the Alien Enemies Act. The former attorney alleges that Bove suggested they tell judges, “f—k you,” if they were to face any legal restrictions while acting on these policies.
At a meeting on March 14, Bove allegedly asserted the urgency of deportation flights carrying immigrants, emphasizing that these planes “needed to take off no matter what,” according to a letter submitted by whistleblower Erez Reuveni’s attorneys from the Government Accountability Project.
This letter was directed to the DOJ’s internal watchdog and key congressional figures just before Bove’s upcoming Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for his confirmation to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.
The development comes amid growing concerns expressed by federal judges over the DOJ’s alleged misrepresentation of facts, noncompliance with court orders, and delays in addressing issues surrounding the Trump administration’s deportation tactics that bypass fundamental legal processes.
The New York Times was the first to report on the letter detailing these allegations.
The correspondence points out that Reuveni, who had informed a judge that the DOJ mistakenly deported Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia to a notorious prison in El Salvador despite an existing court order against his removal, experienced reprisals for fulfilling his professional duty. The letter claims he was “thwarted, threatened, fired, and publicly disparaged for both doing his job and telling the truth to the court.”
As the acting deputy director for the DOJ’s Office of Immigration Litigation, Reuveni later handled three cases concerning the legality of immigration removal operations, where he reported witnessing numerous violations of judicial mandates, including efforts by DOJ officials to misrepresent factual situations to court personnel.
According to his lawyers, Reuveni was placed on administrative leave on April 5 and terminated shortly after, a decision they attribute to his refusal to file misleading legal documents and his honesty regarding Garcia’s deportation.
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Judiciary Committee’s leading Democrat, remarked on Tuesday that Bove’s actions reflected a pattern of misuse of power within the DOJ, which included the dismissal of January 6 prosecutors and the ordering of career prosecutors to abandon charges against Eric Adams for dubious reasons.
“Now, with Mr. Reuveni stepping forward as a whistleblower, further details about Mr. Bove’s alleged misconduct emerge,” Durbin stated. “These serious claims from a long-time DOJ attorney underscore Mr. Bove’s failure to meet ethical standards and illustrate a troubling trend of undermining the rule of law by Trump and his associates.”
Durbin also called on fellow Republican senators to consider the significant implications of confirming Bove for a lifetime role as a circuit court judge.
In response to Reuveni’s allegations, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche dismissed the claims as “falsehoods” from a “disgruntled former employee,” adding that they were leaked to the press in breach of ethical norms. He asserted that no one at the meeting ever suggested disregarding court orders and criticized the narrative as sensational journalism.
However, Dana Gold, a senior counsel with the Government Accountability Project, defended Reuveni, stating, “His disclosures highlight a disturbing readiness among senior officials to circumvent the law for political objectives.” Gold emphasized that Reuveni acted with integrity and deserved recognition for doing so, rather than facing reprisals.
