Trump nominates his former defense attorney Emil Bove to serve as appellate judge
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP said on Wednesday he was nominating Justice Department official Emil Bove, a lawyer who defended Trump when he was convicted of criminal charges over hush money paid to a porn star, to serve as a federal appeals court judge.
Trump announced in a post on his social media platform Truth Social that he named Bove, the principal associate deputy attorney general, to serve as a life-tenured judge on the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
'He will end the Weaponization of Justice, restore the Rule of Law, and do anything else that is necessary to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,' Trump wrote. 'Emil Bove will never let you down!'
Bove's appointment must be approved by the Senate, which Trump's Republicans control by a 53-47 margin.
Trump also said he was nominating five Floridians to serve as federal district court judges in their state: Ed Artau, Kyle Dudek, John Guard, Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe and Jordan Pratt.
The announcements brought to 11 the federal judicial nominees Trump has announced in his second term as the president adds to the conservative stamp he made on the federal judiciary with 234 appointments in his first term from 2017 to 2021.
Bove represented Trump at his criminal trial in Manhattan last year alongside Todd Blanche, who is deputy U.S. attorney general.
The jury in the case found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying documents to cover up a payment made ahead of the 2016 presidential election to silence porn star Stormy Daniels, who said she had a sexual encounter with Trump years earlier. Trump has denied such an encounter and is appealing his conviction.
In the first weeks after Trump returned to office in January, Bove served as acting deputy attorney general before Blanche was confirmed by the Senate in his role.
Bove signed his name to a number of policy changes meant to remove what Trump calls political bias but which critics say threaten the Justice Department's traditional independence from the White House.
In a confrontation that sent shockwaves through the legal profession, Bove in February instructed prosecutors with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office – where Bove used to work – to drop a corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
When the prosecutors refused to do so, Bove took over the case against Adams, who had pleaded not guilty, and argued in court himself - a highly unusual move for a senior Justice Department official.
Ultimately, the judge overseeing the case dismissed the charges, but said the Justice Department's argument that the case should be dropped because it was interfering with the Democratic mayor's help with Trump's federal immigration crackdown 'smacks of a bargain'.
Bove's order to dismiss the Adams case prompted 11 prosecutors in Washington and New York to resign.
Ethics complaints
Government ethics advocacy groups, state officials and members of Congress filed ethics complaints against Bove with a New York disciplinary body for lawyers. One group, the Campaign for Accountability, on Wednesday said the body notified it that it declined to investigate Bove.
Senator Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, expressed concern over the nomination of Bove, who he said had 'abused his position in numerous ways.'
'Mr. Bove's alleged misconduct not only speaks to his fitness as a lawyer, but his activities are part of a broader pattern by President Trump and his allies to undermine the traditional independence of the Justice Department and the rule of law,' Durbin said in a statement.
The 3rd Circuit, which hears appeals in cases from Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, has six active judges appointed by Republican presidents, six named by Democrats and two vacancies.
Trump is nominating Bove to fill a New Jersey-based vacancy on the court, a White House official said.
That seat was left vacant after Democratic former President Joe Biden's nomination of Adeel Mangi to become the nation's first Muslim federal appeals court judge
stalled in the Senate
following fierce Republican opposition.
Earlier in his career, Bove served as co-chief of the terrorism and international narcotics unit at the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office.
As a prosecutor from 2012 through 2021, Bove secured the conviction of a former Honduran president's brother on drug charges and the guilty plea of a New York man who tried to support the Islamic State militant group.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
31 minutes ago
- The Star
Ukraine keeps Russia guessing over participation in June 2 peace talks
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan meets Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 30, 2025. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich KYIV/MOSCOW (Reuters) -Ukraine on Friday resisted pressure from Moscow and Washington to commit itself to attending peace talks with Russia on June 2, saying it first needed to see the proposals Russian negotiators plan to bring to the talks. After U.S. President Donald Trump urged Moscow and Kyiv to work together on a peace deal to end their three-year-old war, Russia proposed sitting down with Ukrainian officials next week in Istanbul. Kyiv responded by saying it was committed in principle to the search for peace, but that it was waiting for a memorandum from the Russian side setting out their proposals, which it had still not received. "We are ready for dialogue, but we demand clarity - clear and, most importantly, balanced proposals," the Ukrainian president's chief of staff Andriy Yermak said in remarks aired on national television. The war, the biggest on the European continent since World War Two, began when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Expectations for the talks are modest because the positions staked out so far by the two sides are far apart and work between them has yet to begin in earnest on narrowing the gap. Nevertheless, both Kyiv and Moscow are keen to demonstrate to Trump that they are on board with his efforts to end the conflict. Kyiv is seeking more U.S. military aid, while Moscow hopes he will ease economic sanctions on Russia. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian delegation would be travelling to Istanbul and would be ready for talks with Ukraine on Monday morning. "At the moment, everyone is focused on the direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations. A list of conditions for a temporary truce is being developed," Peskov told reporters. Reuters reported earlier this week that Putin's conditions for ending the war in Ukraine include a demand that Western leaders pledge in writing to stop enlarging NATO eastwards. Trump's envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said earlier on Friday that Russia's concern over the eastward enlargement of NATO was fair and the United States did not want to see Ukraine in the U.S.-led military alliance. Commenting on Kellogg's statement, Peskov said: "We are pleased that these explanations by the president are understood, including in Washington." TURKISH HOSTS Turkey's government hosted a previous round of Ukrainian-Russian talks in Istanbul on May 16 -- which ended with no breakthrough -- and has again offered its services as a mediator. Speaking on a visit to Kyiv, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told reporters: "As long as (the sides) remain at the negotiating table, progress can surely be seen." If the talks go ahead in Istanbul, the next step would be to try to host a meeting between Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, he added. But Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who appeared alongside Fidan at a news conference, sounded a note of caution. "In order for the next planned meeting to be substantive and meaningful, it is important to receive a document in advance so that the delegation that will attend has the authority to discuss the relevant positions," Sybiha said. Sybiha did not spell out what Kyiv would do if it did not receive the Russian document, or set out a deadline for receiving it. "We want to end this war this year, and we are interested in establishing a truce, whether it is for 30 days, or for 50 days, or for 100 days," he said. Zelenskiy was later shown meeting and shaking hands with Fidan in Kyiv in footage released by the Turkish foreign ministry. Russia has said its delegation at the Istanbul talks will be led by Vladimir Medinsky, a Kremlin aide who led the Russian team at the previous round of talks. (Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu, Anna Pruchnicka and Tom Balmforth; Editing by Ros Russell)
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Elon Musk's rocket-fuelled ride with Trump flames out
WASHINGTON, May 30 — Elon Musk stormed into US politics as President Donald Trump's chainsaw-brandishing sidekick. Four turbulent months later it's the tech tycoon himself on the chopping block. Trump hailed Musk as 'terrific' as he announced that they would hold a joint press conference on Friday as the South African-born magnate leaves the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 'This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way,' Trump said on his Truth Social network yesterday But the warm words could not hide the open frustrations that Musk, the world's richest man, had expressed in recent weeks about his controversial cost-cutting role for the world's most powerful man. Once a fixture at the Republican president's side, dressed in t-shirts and Maga baseball caps, Musk had shown growing disillusionment with the obstacles faced by DOGE even as it cut a brutal swath through the US bureaucracy. He leaves far short of his original goal of saving US$2 trillion dollars, with The Atlantic magazine calculating he saved just one thousandth of that, despite tens of thousands of people losing their jobs. Instead he will focus on his Space X and Tesla businesses, as well as his goal of colonizing Mars. Rocket-like rise It was all very different at first, as the 53-year-old Musk rose through Trump's orbit as rapidly as one of his rockets—though they have been known to blow up now and again. Musk was the biggest donor to Trump's 2024 election campaign and the pair bonded over right-wing politics and a desire to root out what they believed was a wasteful 'deep state.' DOGE was jokingly named after a 'memecoin,' but it was no joke. Young tech wizards who slept in the White House complex shuttered whole government departments. Foreign countries found their aid cut off. A shades-wearing Musk brandished a chainsaw at a conservative event, boasting of how easy it was to save money, and separately made what appeared to be a Nazi salute. Soon the man critics dubbed the 'co-president' was constantly at Trump's side. The tycoon appeared with his young son X on his shoulders during his first press conference in the Oval Office. He attended cabinet meetings. He and Trump rode on Air Force One and Marine One together. They watched cage fights together. Many wondered how long two such big egos could coexist. But Trump himself remained publicly loyal to the man he called a 'genius.' One day, the president even turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla dealership after protesters targeted Musk's electric car business. Got into fights Yet the socially awkward tech magnate also struggled to get a grip on the realities of US politics. The beginning of the end 'started (in) mid-March when there were several meetings in the Oval Office and in the cabinet room where basically Elon Musk got into fights,' Elaine Kamarck of the Brookings Institution told AFP. One shouting match with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent could reportedly be heard throughout the West Wing. Musk publicly called Trump's trade advisor Peter Navarro 'dumber than a sack of bricks.' Nor did Musk's autocratic style and Silicon Valley creed of 'move fast and break things' work well in Washington. The impact on Musk's businesses also began to hit home. A series of Space X launches ended in fiery failures, while Tesla shareholders fumed. Musk started musing about stepping back, saying that 'DOGE is a way of life, like Buddhism' that would carry on without him. Finally, Musk showed the first signs of distance from Trump himself, saying he was 'disappointed' in Trump's recent mega spending bill. Musk also said he would pull back from spending time on politics. The end came, appropriately, in a post by Musk on Wednesday on the X network, which he bought and then turned into a megaphone for his right-wing politics. But Musk's departure might not be the end of the story, said Kamarck. 'I think they genuinely like each other and I think Musk has a lot of money that he can contribute to campaigns if he is so moved. I think there will be a continued relation,' she said. — AFP
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
What comes next in Trump's legal battle over tariffs?
WASHINGTON, May 30 — A US federal appeals court has temporarily halted a ruling that found many of President Donald Trump's tariffs illegal, but the chance it could ultimately back the original decision looms over the White House. What is in the US Court of International Trade's original ruling—which the Trump administration is appealing—and what options does the administration have? Which tariffs were affected? The three-judge trade court ruled Wednesday that Trump overstepped his authority in imposing blanket tariffs by invoking emergency economic powers. The judgment—although temporarily halted—affected levies unveiled on April 2, which involve a 10-per cent tariff on most trading partners and higher rates on dozens of economies including China and the European Union. These higher levels are currently suspended while negotiations take place. The ruling also applies to tariffs imposed on Canada, Mexico and China over their alleged roles in allowing an influx of drugs into the United States. But it left intact sector-specific levies like those on steel, aluminum and auto imports. Why a pause? The ruling by the little-known court, which has nationwide jurisdiction over tariff and trade disputes, initially gave the White House 10 days to complete the process of unwinding the levies. But the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Thursday granted a temporary stay 'until further notice' while the Trump administration's appeals process plays out. This means the tariffs can remain in effect for now, while a longer-term outcome is yet to be determined. National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett told Fox News the administration is 'very pleased with the ruling,' dubbing it a victory. What are Trump's alternatives? The appeals court could eventually uphold the trade court's original decision to block Trump's sweeping tariffs. The president, however, has other means to reinstate his tariff agenda, said Thibault Denamiel, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. These include Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, 'which is intended to deal with a balance of payments emergency but does not require a formal investigation,' Denamiel told AFP. The authority restricts tariffs to 15 per cent and they can only last 150 days. But it is among the policy levers that Trump could pull as he seeks a 'bridge' towards more lasting actions, said KPMG chief economist Diane Swonk. Another option is Section 338 of the Trade Act of 1930, allowing the administration to impose tariffs of up to 50 per cent on countries that discriminate against the United States, Denamiel said. Does this affect trade talks? The US trade court's ruling did not remove the threat of US tariffs for Europe or end the need for negotiations, said Andrew Kenningham, chief Europe economist at Capital Economics. This is because the threat of reciprocal tariffs remains if the White House wins its appeal, he said. Trump could also turn to sector-specific means as he did in his first term or seek congressional approval for tariffs, though this is less likely, Kenningham said. It is not clear if negotiations will lose steam, Swonk added, given that the administration wants to leverage the threat of tariffs 'very aggressively.' Even if the original ruling is eventually upheld, US officials could still buy time to exert pressure on other economies including the European Union and China. What about the broader economy? The court process 'introduces greater ambiguity around the future direction of US trade policy,' especially because the appeal is ongoing, said EY chief economist Gregory Daco. 'This legal development amplifies longer-lasting uncertainty for businesses navigating cross-border supply chains,' he added in a note. US stocks closed higher Thursday, but economic fallout has already occurred in recent months with Trump's see-sawing approach to unveiling tariffs and pausing them selectively. Financial markets have been roiled by policy shifts, and shipping halts due to high tariffs bring disruptions that cannot be cleared overnight, analysts said. 'The fate of the economy remains precarious even if we avert a recession,' Swonk said on social media. — AFP
