American Oversight Sharply Criticizes New York State Attorney Grievance Committee for Refusing to Investigate Emil Bove

Today, American Oversight sharply criticized the New York State Attorney Grievance Committee — the body responsible for investigating and prosecuting attorney misconduct — for once again refusing to investigate Emil Bove.

In February, we filed a complaint raising serious concerns about Bove’s conduct while serving in the Trump Justice Department, where he reportedly oversaw the corrupt dismissal of criminal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Instead of investigating, the committee punted — forwarding the matter to the Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility. This month, the committee repeated that abdication, sending American Oversight’s renewed complaint back to DOJ’s OPR despite knowing that Bove had been confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit just three days earlier, rendering the referral meaningless. The shirking of responsibility follows months of attacks by the Trump administration on the bar and legal profession.

“The committee’s decision to once again decline to investigate Bove, despite mounting evidence of serious misconduct, is a deeply troubling abdication of responsibility,” our Executive Director Chioma Chukwu said. “Rather than fulfill its clear duty to investigate credible allegations of misconduct against one of its own members, the committee referred the matter to an agency it knew would soon lack jurisdiction over Bove. This is not simply a question of jurisdiction, it’s about having the courage to uphold accountability when it is most needed. At a moment when the legal profession is under sustained attack from the Trump administration and its allies, such inaction undermines the rule of law. The committee’s responsibility is to enforce ethical standards without fear or favor, and the public has every right to expect that those who abuse their power — especially lawyers in the highest levels of government — will be held to account.”

In recent months, the Trump administration has engaged in an aggressive campaign to undermine bar associations themselves. In early 2025, the administration froze tens of millions of dollars in funding that the American Bar Association (ABA) relied on for attorney training programs. Shortly after, the Federal Trade Commission, under administration-aligned political appointees, prohibited staff from renewing ABA memberships or participating in ABA events. At the same time, Attorney General Pam Bondi formally withdrew DOJ’s cooperation with the ABA’s judicial nominee vetting process, asserting that the organization no longer functioned as a “fair arbiter” of qualifications. Bondi has also threatened the ABA’s power to accredit law schools. These efforts coincide with broader attacks on the legal profession, including executive actions targeting major law firms that represent Trump’s perceived political opponents, canceling federal contracts, and revoking access to government buildings.

These coordinated interferences amount to a politically motivated campaign to undermine the authority and independence of bar associations — institutions that have previously demonstrated a willingness to hold lawyers accountable for unethical conduct committed on behalf of President Trump, including by revoking their licenses to practice law. Among many others, Rudy Giuliani’s law license was suspended by the bar in both New York and D.C. for making false statements about the 2020 election, while John Eastman was disbarred in California for his role in Trump’s efforts to overturn the election results. These and other disciplinary actions underscore the critical role the bar plays in upholding legal ethics — and why the Trump administration and its allies have increasingly sought to discredit, defund, and intimidate professional bodies that enforce accountability.

Bove’s Pattern of Misconduct

After the New York State Attorney Grievance Committee referred our initial request for an investigation into Bove’s potential professional misconduct to the DOJ’s OPR, we sought reconsideration, noting the committee is ultimately responsible for governing the conduct of attorneys licensed in New York and citing damning new whistleblower allegations against Bove.

The whistleblower complaint, submitted to Congress and the DOJ inspector general by longtime DOJ attorney Erez Reuveni, alleged that Bove suggested defying federal court orders to expedite deportations under the Alien Enemies Act — explicitly stating the DOJ should consider telling courts “f— you” if injunctions were issued. Reuveni, who had just been promoted and had previously defended controversial Trump-era immigration policies, said DOJ and White House officials engaged in a coordinated effort to ignore or misrepresent facts in court, mislead judges, and conceal information to facilitate deportations, including a case in which more than 100 Venezuelans were removed despite court orders to the contrary.

He described being directed by DOJ officials to support false claims in court,  such as labeling one deportee a terrorist without evidence,  and was ultimately fired after refusing, stating, “I didn’t sign up to lie.” His account, which includes contemporaneous emails and messages, outlines three separate court violations and a broader culture of political pressure and ethical breaches at the highest levels of DOJ leadership.