A whistleblower who leveled explosive allegations against Emil Bove, a top DOJ official who is currently in the middle of a contentious nomination process for a seat on the federal judiciary, has provided additional evidence to bolster his claims to Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The whistleblower, Erez Reuveni, was previously an immigration litigator at the DOJ under Bove who worked on the high-profile case of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia. He has alleged that Bove, who was tapped by President Donald Trump to serve as principal associate deputy attorney general, said in a March meeting that the department would need to consider telling the courts “fuck you,” and ultimately ignore any orders that would halt deportation flights to the notoriously dangerous prison in El Salvador where Abrego Garcia was sent.
Reuveni lost his job at the DOJ, he has alleged, in retaliation for his behavior. After telling a federal judge that the administration erred in deporting Abrego Garcia, Reuveni was placed on administrative leave, and complained internally about how the DOJ was engaging with the court. Reuveni has said he also refused to file a legal document in court that he felt would be untrue.