Ahead of a Thursday vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee on controversial Third Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Emil Bove, Senator Cory Booker and his fellow Judiciary Committee Democrats asked the committee to hear directly from a Justice Department whistleblower, but Republican leaders turned them down.
Erez Reuveni, the former Acting Deputy Director for the Office of Immigration Litigation, went public with allegations last month that Bove, a top Justice Department official, directed his subordinates to defy court orders related to President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda. Bove, Reuveni alleged, said Justice Department officials would need to “consider telling the courts ‘fuck you’”; other top department officials denied Reuveni’s account.
Reuveni’s allegations, Judiciary Committee Democrats wrote in a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), warrant a new meeting to hear directly from Reuveni before Bove is greenlit for a lifetime appointment to a New Jersey-based seat.
“Mr. Reuveni has made credible allegations against Mr. Bove, which, if true, clearly disqualify him for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench,” their letter reads. “Thus, it is imperative that the Committee hear from Mr. Reuveni, under oath, before we vote on Mr. Bove’s nomination.”
But Grassley said in a lengthy letter of his own that, while he “respect[s] whistleblowers and the whistleblowing process,” he does not believe Reuveni’s account holds up to scrutiny...
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