Senior DOJ Official Suggested Department Tell Courts ‘F*** You’ And Ignore Orders, Whistleblower Says
Emil Bove, a senior Department of Justice (DOJ) official, suggested the department should tell courts “f*** you” and ignore their orders to carry out President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportations, according to a whistleblower complaint by a former DOJ attorney.
Filed by Erez Reuveni, a veteran DOJ attorney who was fired earlier this year, the whistleblower complaint alleges that department officials defied court orders and misled federal judges on several occasions.
Reviewed and published by the New York Times, Reuveni’s 27-page complaint was sent to lawmakers and the Justice Department inspector general Tuesday on Reuveni’s behalf by the Government Accountability Project.
Trump last month nominated Bove to serve as a life-tenured judge on the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He’s currently a top official in the deputy attorney general’s office.
Bove, who defended Trump when he was convicted of criminal charges over hush money paid to a porn star, is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday for a hearing over his nomination.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement Tuesday that Reuveni’s allegations “not only speak to Mr. Bove’s failure to fulfill his ethical obligations as a lawyer, but demonstrate that his activities are part of a broader pattern by President Trump and his allies to undermine the Justice Department’s commitment to the rule of law.”
“I implore my Senate Republican colleagues: do not turn a blind eye to the dire consequences of confirming Mr. Bove to a lifetime position as a circuit court judge,” Durbin added.
Reuveni stated that Bove and other DOJ and White House officials sought to defy federal court orders “through lack of candor, deliberate delay and disinformation” over the course of three weeks in three separate cases.
He further alleged that he witnessed instances of senior DOJ officials engaging in wrongdoing by ignoring court orders, presenting legal arguments with no basis in law and misrepresenting facts presented before courts.
One of those instances involved Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act (AEA), an 18th-century wartime law, to fly hundreds of people from the U.S. to a Salvadoran prison earlier this year.
Reuveni alleged that before Trump officially invoked the AEA, Bove held a meeting with subordinates March 14 to strategize how the government should respond to a potential court order blocking removals using the AEA.
Bove “stressed to all in attendance that the planes needed to take off no matter what” and used an expletive while suggesting that the DOJ should consider ignoring court orders during the meeting, according to the complaint.
Reuveni alleged that Bove’s suggestion to defy court orders left many subordinates, including himself, “stunned.”
“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*** you,” the complaint reads.
A day later, Trump officially invoked the AEA and the Trump administration carried out the removals to El Salvador despite a court order from U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg that blocked such removals.
Legal experts told Democracy Docket at the time that the Trump administration appeared to defy Boasberg’s order, while Trump officials stated publicly that the government “ignored” the order.
Reuveni alleged that Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign “willfully misled” Judge Boasberg by stating in a court hearing that he did not know when the Trump administration would carry out the AEA flights.
“Mr. Reuveni reasonably believes Ensign’s statement to the court that he did not know whether AEA removals would take place ‘in the next 24 or 48 hours’ was false,” the complaint reads. “Ensign had been present in the previous day’s meeting when Emil Bove stated clearly that one or more planes containing individuals subject to the AEA would be taking off over the weekend no matter what.”
Ensign has represented the government in several deportation-related cases in recent months.
Last month, Boasberg found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in contempt of court for showing “a willful disregard” for his court orders. However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. has paused Boasberg’s contempt proceedings.
Reuveni also alleged that DOJ officials directed him to misrepresent facts before a court while defending the government in a lawsuit filed by Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was erroneously removed from the U.S. and transferred to El Salvador in violation of a court order earlier this year. He did not do so.
After he expressed frustration over the government’s inability to answer questions from a judge in a court hearing on why Kilmar Abrego was removed, the DOJ placed Reuveni on leave and eventually fired him, ending his nearly 15-year career with the department.
The DOJ accused Reuveni of sabotaging its defense in the lawsuit by saying in court that the government made an “administrative error” in removing Abrego Garcia. However, Reuveni was repeating what other Trump administration officials had already admitted in court filings.
“Mr. Reuveni’s internal reporting and ultimately his refusal to obey this illegal order directly resulted in his suspension and termination,” the complaint reads.
Reuveni is the latest in a series of former DOJ officials who have accused department leaders of breaking norms, abusing their powers and assisting Trump in undermining the rule of law.