Republican senators on Thursday advanced through the judiciary committee Emil Bove’s nomination to serve as a judge on a federal appeals court, after Democrats walked out of the session in protest of the GOP’s refusal to call a whistleblower who alleged the nominee advocated for ignoring court orders.
Donald Trump nominated Bove, his defense attorney who he appointed as a top justice department official in the early weeks of his new administration, for a seat on the third circuit court of appeals overseeing New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and the US Virgin Islands. Bove’s advancement through the judiciary committee clears the way for his confirmation to be voted on by the full Senate.
His nomination for the lifetime position has faced strident opposition from Democrats, after Erez Reuveni, a former justice department official who was fired from his post, alleged that during his time at the justice department, Bove told lawyers that they “would need to consider telling the courts ‘fuck you’ and ignore any such court order” blocking efforts to remove immigrants to El Salvador. In testimony before the committee last month, Bove denied the accusation, and Reuveni later provided text messages that supported his claim.
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At Thursday’s hearing, the New Jersey senator Cory Booker attempted to formally delay the vote on confirming Bove, citing Reuveni’s whistleblower complaint as well as letters from state and federal prosecutors opposing his nomination.
“There is no need to vote on this nominee today. It is a false urgency,” Booker said.
His request was rejected by the committee’s Republican chair, Chuck Grassley, and Democratic senators then walked out as the committee voted on Bove’s nomination.
“What are you afraid of about even debating this, putting things on the record, hearing from every senator? Dear God, that’s what our obligations are,” said Booker, who remained in the committee’s chambers and continued speaking as Republican senators called out their votes on Bove and other judicial nominees.
“This is outrageous that you’re not allowing senators to have their fair say before a controversial nominee is being done. This is unbelievable. This is unjust. This is wrong. It is the further deterioration of this committee’s integrity with a person like this. What are you afraid of?”
In addition to the whistleblower complaint, Democrats have criticized Bove for his role, while serving as acting justice department deputy attorney general, in the firings of prosecutors who worked on cases connected to the January 6 insurrection, as well as for requesting a list of FBI agents who investigated the attack. He also oversaw legal motions to drop charges against the New York City mayor, Eric Adams, which prompted the resignation of seven veteran prosecutors in New York who refused to cooperate.
Republicans showed little indication of sharing those concerns, and voted to advance Bove along with 11 other nominees to federal judgeships nationwide.
Thom Tillis, a retiring Republican senator who in May derailed Trump’s nomination of Ed Martin as the top federal prosecutor in Washington DC over his defense of January 6 insurrectionists, said he did not find credible Democrats’ assertions that Bove had similar views.
“Does anybody really believe that if I was convinced that Bove had made any statements condoning the violent acts against Capitol police officers, that I’d be voting for him? Just ask Ed Martin whether or not that’s a red line,” Tillis said.
