Latest news with #WhistleblowerAid
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ex-Trump lawyer Emil Bove confirmed to federal appeals court by US Senate
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Emil Bove, a top justice department official and former defense attorney for Donald Trump, to a lifetime seat on a federal appeals court, despite claims by whistleblowers that he advocated for ignoring court orders. The vote broke nearly along party lines, with 50 Republican senators voting for his confirmation to a seat on the third circuit court of appeals overseeing New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and the US Virgin Islands. All Democrats opposed his nomination along with Republican senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski. Tennessee senator Bill Hagerty missed the vote. Bove's 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. Last week, another former justice department lawyer provided evidence to its inspector general corroborating Reuveni's claim, according to Whistleblower Aid, a non-profit representing the person, who opted to remain anonymous. On Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that a third whistleblower alleged Bove misled Congress about his role in the dropping of corruption charges against New York City mayor Eric Adams. Seven veteran prosecutors resigned rather than follow orders to end the prosecution, which Democrats allege was done to secure Adams's cooperation with Trump's immigration policies. 'Like other individuals President Trump has installed in the highest positions of our government during his second term, Mr Bove's primary qualification appears to be his blind loyalty to this president,' Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate judiciary committee, said in a speech before the vote. The senator said he was trying to get a copy of the complaint made by the anonymous whistleblower who corroborates Reuveni's allegations, and accused the GOP of pushing Bove's nomination forward without fully investigating his conduct. 'It appears my Republican colleagues fear the answers. That is the only reason I can see for their insistence on forcing this nomination through at breakneck speed before all the facts are public,' Durbin said. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion 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. During his June confirmation hearing, Bove denied suggesting justice department lawyers defy court orders, or that political considerations played a role in dropping the charges against Adams. 'I am not anybody's henchman,' he told the committee. Democrats walked out of the committee earlier this month when its Republican majority voted to advance his nomination, despite their pleas that the whistleblower complaints be further explored.
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
2nd whistleblower speaks out on Emil Bove appellate court appointment
July 27 (UPI) -- A second whistleblower has come forward in the appointment of Emil Bove to a lifetime appellate court judgeship, saying Bove directed attorneys to give false information and defy court orders. Bove, a former member of President Donald Trump's criminal defense team in his fraud case in New York, is the Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General of the United States. Trump nominated him for Third Circuit Court of Appeals judge in Philadelphia. The second whistleblower, who is not named, is a career Department of Justice attorney and is represented by Whistleblower Aid, a non-profit legal organization that helps public- and private-sector workers report and expose wrongdoing. They disclosed evidence to the DOJ's Office of the Inspector General that corroborates the first whistleblower's claims that Bove and other senior DOJ officials were "actively and deliberately undermining the rule of law," Whistleblower Aid said. "What we're seeing here is something I never thought would be possible on such a wide scale: federal prosecutors appointed by the Trump Administration intentionally presenting dubious if not outright false evidence to a court of jurisdiction in cases that impact a person's fundamental rights not only under our Constitution, but their natural rights as humans," Whistleblower Aid Chief Legal Counsel Andrew Bakaj said in a statement. "What this means is that federal career attorneys who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution are now being pressured to abdicate that promise in favor of fealty to a single person, specifically Donald Trump. Loyalty to one individual must never outweigh supporting and protecting the fundamental rights of those living in the United States," he said. The DOJ defended Bove. "Emil Bove is a highly qualified judicial nominee who has done incredible work at the Department of Justice to help protect civil rights, dismantle Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and Make America Safe Again," spokesperson Gates McGavick told CNN. "He will make an excellent judge -- the Department's loss will be the Third Circuit's gain." Bove has contradicted the complaints. "I don't think there's any validity to the suggestion that that whistleblower complaint filed ... calls into question my qualifications to serve as a circuit judge," Bove told the Senate the committee during his confirmation hearing. "I have never advised a Department of Justice attorney to violate a court order," Bove said. As Trump's personal attorney, Bove defended him in his federal criminal cases, which were dismissed after his reelection. He also represented Trump in his New York hush-money case. In that case, he was found guilty of all 34 charges. The previous whistleblower Erez Reuveni provided documents earlier this month saying that Bove is the person who gave the Trump administration the directive to ignore a court order to stop flights taking migrants to a Salvadoran prison. Bove allegedly said to prepare to tell the courts "f- you." Bove told Congress he doesn't remember using the F-word and sidestepped other questions about the incident. Reuveni was fired from his job as the acting deputy director for the Office of Immigration Litigation after he disclosed that Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported in error. He worked for the DOJ for 15 years. The Senate gave its preliminary approval for Bove's appointment. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said "Even if you accept most of the claims as true, there's no scandal here. Government lawyers aggressively litigating and interpreting court orders isn't misconduct - it's what lawyers do." Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
UPI
3 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
2nd whistleblower speaks out on Emil Bove appellate court appointment
Emil Bove, attorney for former President Donald Trump, sits in the courtroom at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York in 2024. Bove's nomination to a lifetime appeals court judgeship is challenged by a second whistleblower alleging misconduct. File photo by Jeenah Moon/UPI | License Photo July 27 (UPI) -- A second whistleblower has come forward in the appointment of Emil Bove to a lifetime appellate court judgeship, saying Bove directed attorneys to give false information and defy court orders. Bove, a former member of President Donald Trump's criminal defense team in his fraud case in New York, is the Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General of the United States. Trump nominated him for Third Circuit Court of Appeals judge in Philadelphia. The second whistleblower, who is not named, is a career Department of Justice attorney and is represented by Whistleblower Aid, a non-profit legal organization that helps public- and private-sector workers report and expose wrongdoing. They disclosed evidence to the DOJ's Office of the Inspector General that corroborates the first whistleblower's claims that Bove and other senior DOJ officials were "actively and deliberately undermining the rule of law," Whistleblower Aid said. "What we're seeing here is something I never thought would be possible on such a wide scale: federal prosecutors appointed by the Trump Administration intentionally presenting dubious if not outright false evidence to a court of jurisdiction in cases that impact a person's fundamental rights not only under our Constitution, but their natural rights as humans," Whistleblower Aid Chief Legal Counsel Andrew Bakaj said in a statement. "What this means is that federal career attorneys who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution are now being pressured to abdicate that promise in favor of fealty to a single person, specifically Donald Trump. Loyalty to one individual must never outweigh supporting and protecting the fundamental rights of those living in the United States," he said. The DOJ defended Bove. "Emil Bove is a highly qualified judicial nominee who has done incredible work at the Department of Justice to help protect civil rights, dismantle Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and Make America Safe Again," spokesperson Gates McGavick told CNN. "He will make an excellent judge -- the Department's loss will be the Third Circuit's gain." Bove has contradicted the complaints. "I don't think there's any validity to the suggestion that that whistleblower complaint filed ... calls into question my qualifications to serve as a circuit judge," Bove told the Senate the committee during his confirmation hearing. "I have never advised a Department of Justice attorney to violate a court order," Bove said. As Trump's personal attorney, Bove defended him in his federal criminal cases, which were dismissed after his reelection. He also represented Trump in his New York hush-money case. In that case, he was found guilty of all 34 charges. The previous whistleblower Erez Reuveni provided documents earlier this month saying that Bove is the person who gave the Trump administration the directive to ignore a court order to stop flights taking migrants to a Salvadoran prison. Bove allegedly said to prepare to tell the courts "f- you." Bove told Congress he doesn't remember using the F-word and sidestepped other questions about the incident. Reuveni was fired from his job as the acting deputy director for the Office of Immigration Litigation after he disclosed that Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported in error. He worked for the DOJ for 15 years. The Senate gave its preliminary approval for Bove's appointment. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said "Even if you accept most of the claims as true, there's no scandal here. Government lawyers aggressively litigating and interpreting court orders isn't misconduct - it's what lawyers do."
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
U.S. lawyer targeted by Trump cautions Canada on AI and attacks on dissent
VANCOUVER — An American lawyer stripped of his security clearance by U.S. President Donald Trump says Canadians need to be vigilant about attacks on political freedom south of the border. Mark Zaid, a speaker at the Web Summit Vancouver tech conference, said he never expected to get "attacked" by a sitting president over the work he's done in his three decades practising law, representing clients from the worlds of intelligence and national security. He said Canadians need to be wary of the rise of artificial intelligence that could be used to either target political dissent or shield it, warning that it's hard to prevent attacks on democratic norms, rather than react to them. Zaid said that there were rumours in Washington about how AI was potentially used to sniff out anti-Trump dissent. "This is more about whether or not political dissent is going to be tolerated, and so I think AI and the tech community is the next sort of shield," he said Thursday. Zaid is co-founder of the non-profit Whistleblower Aid and he said Canada is not immune to the forces that have shaped American political culture under Trump. "We share so much with our television, the news broadcasts, everything. We're watching each other all the time and so I think what's going on in the United States could easily happen in Canada, which I hope never will," he said. "But that's why you watch what's going on elsewhere to make sure it doesn't happen here." Zaid is suing Trump and others after the president stripped him of his security clearance at the same time as former president Joe Biden and other political figures. The lawyer had represented a whistleblower during the first Trump administration, and has practised law in the national security space since former president Bill Clinton was in power. He touts himself as non-partisan, and says he is registered as an independent. Zaid -- who said he didn't bring his cellphone across the border in case it got confiscated on his return -- said artificial intelligence may be in its "infancy" but it is at the "forefront of everything that's going on." He said technology's impacts on politics knows no borders, with social media bot accounts from outside the country demonstrating how "you don't any longer have to be local to be able to have an effect. In fact, you can be across the world." "Before Twitter became X, much of the disinformation that was being targeted at the United States during the elections in 2016 in particular was coming from overseas," he said. Zaid said the work Whistleblower Aid does in the U.S. "is needed in every country around the world," to protect people who take great professional risks to reveal institutional wrongdoing and face potential political retribution. He said he'd recently began watching the television show "The Handmaid's Tale," based on Canadian author Margaret Atwood's book, which is "not a very positive thing to watch." "Canada is the home for U.S. asylum seekers in 'Handmaid's Tale.' So for those of you who are Canadian, do not become our 51st state. Stay free, please," he said. "In both countries, the power is with the people to hold the government accountable, not the other way around." This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025. The Canadian Press
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
U.S. lawyer targeted by Trump cautions Canada on AI and attacks on dissent
VANCOUVER — An American lawyer stripped of his security clearance by U.S. President Donald Trump says Canadians need to be vigilant about attacks on political freedom south of the border. Mark Zaid, a speaker at the Web Summit Vancouver tech conference, said he never expected to get "attacked" by a sitting president over the work he's done in his three decades practising law, representing clients from the worlds of intelligence and national security. He said Canadians need to be wary of the rise of artificial intelligence that could be used to either target political dissent or shield it, warning that it's hard to prevent attacks on democratic norms, rather than react to them. Zaid said that there were rumours in Washington about how AI was potentially used to sniff out anti-Trump dissent. "This is more about whether or not political dissent is going to be tolerated, and so I think AI and the tech community is the next sort of shield," he said Thursday. Zaid is co-founder of the non-profit Whistleblower Aid and he said Canada is not immune to the forces that have shaped American political culture under Trump. "We share so much with our television, the news broadcasts, everything. We're watching each other all the time and so I think what's going on in the United States could easily happen in Canada, which I hope never will," he said. "But that's why you watch what's going on elsewhere to make sure it doesn't happen here." Zaid is suing Trump and others after the president stripped him of his security clearance at the same time as former president Joe Biden and other political figures. The lawyer had represented a whistleblower during the first Trump administration, and has practised law in the national security space since former president Bill Clinton was in power. He touts himself as non-partisan, and says he is registered as an independent. Zaid -- who said he didn't bring his cellphone across the border in case it got confiscated on his return -- said artificial intelligence may be in its "infancy" but it is at the "forefront of everything that's going on." He said technology's impacts on politics knows no borders, with social media bot accounts from outside the country demonstrating how "you don't any longer have to be local to be able to have an effect. In fact, you can be across the world." "Before Twitter became X, much of the disinformation that was being targeted at the United States during the elections in 2016 in particular was coming from overseas," he said. Zaid said the work Whistleblower Aid does in the U.S. "is needed in every country around the world," to protect people who take great professional risks to reveal institutional wrongdoing and face potential political retribution. He said he'd recently began watching the television show "The Handmaid's Tale," based on Canadian author Margaret Atwood's book, which is "not a very positive thing to watch." "Canada is the home for U.S. asylum seekers in 'Handmaid's Tale.' So for those of you who are Canadian, do not become our 51st state. Stay free, please," he said. "In both countries, the power is with the people to hold the government accountable, not the other way around." This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025. The Canadian Press
