American Oversight Sues for Records on Trump Judicial Nominee Emil Bove Amid Alarming Whistleblower Allegations
We’re seeking DOJ documents that could shed light on Bove’s potential misconduct, including his role in defying court orders, politically motivated dismissals of charges, and mass deportations.
On Thursday, American Oversight filed suit against the Department of Justice (DOJ) demanding the release of documents related to Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, Trump’s former personal criminal defense attorney and current-nominee for a lifetime appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, comes as Bove’s nomination faces intensifying scrutiny over disturbing whistleblower allegations of misconduct, including instructing DOJ attorneys to defy court orders and mislead federal judges.
“The American public — and the U.S. Senate — have every right to see the full record of Emil Bove’s potential misconduct before he is considered for a lifetime seat on the federal bench,” said American Oversight Executive Director Chioma Chukwu. “The whistleblower allegations against Bove add to an extremely troubling portrait: a top DOJ official willing to defy court orders, mislead judges, and interfere in criminal prosecutions for political gain. The American people deserve to know how Bove wielded the immense power of his office — and whether he betrayed the rule of law in the process.”
The lawsuit seeks to compel the DOJ to release records responsive to several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests submitted earlier this year. These include notes from a Jan. 31 meeting during which Bove allegedly negotiated the dismissal of corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams in exchange for Adams’ political cooperation; Bove’s communications with or about Trump allies Stephen Miller and Kash Patel; records related to the DOJ’s implementation of the Alien Enemies Act and the deportation of migrants to foreign prisons — now the subject of ongoing contempt proceedings in federal court; and emails and text messages referencing the high-level resignations that followed both the dismissal of the Adams charges and the DOJ’s defiance of court orders in deportation cases.
The lawsuit follows a detailed whistleblower filing by former DOJ attorney Erez Reuveni, who was fired after raising concerns that Bove instructed subordinates to ignore any federal judge’s orders that would halt the deportation of Venezuelan migrants. According to Reuveni’s account, Bove said the DOJ should consider telling courts “f— you” and carry out the removals regardless. Reuveni’s allegations are corroborated by court records and ongoing litigation over the government’s defiance of Judge James Boasberg’s order in J.G.G. v. Trump.
The New York Times recently reported on the whistleblower complaint, which includes evidence of a broader pattern of misconduct and deception by senior DOJ leadership during the implementation of Trump’s mass deportation agenda. According to the article, the complaint says that DOJ and White House officials sought to “defy federal court orders through lack of candor, deliberate delay and disinformation.”
This is not the first time American Oversight has sounded the alarm about Bove’s conduct. In February, the group filed a formal bar complaint against him for professional misconduct in his role dismissing charges against Mayor Adams. And in late June, the nonprofit watchdog renewed its request for a professional misconduct investigation and urged the Senate to reject Bove’s judicial nomination, citing a pattern of behavior inconsistent with the ethical obligations of a federal judge.