Emil Bove, President Donald Trump’s nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, was confirmed earlier this week.

Bove previously served as the principal associate deputy attorney general at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and represented the president on his personal defense team, as CBS reported.

Bove graduated from Georgetown University Law and clerked for two federal judges and was a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York.

As it turns out, Bove’s confirmation by the Senate was a contentious one, and a multiplicity of anti-Bove accusers came forward with concerns about his time in the DOJ.

Democrat Pushback

During the confirmation process, no less than three whistleblowers accused Bove of expressing (but not acting on) disregard for DOJ procedures during his time there.

Whistleblower and former Acting Deputy Director in the DOJ’s Office of Immigration Litigation Erez Reuveni, outlined the concerns n a 27-page letter on the topic in June of this year.

According to the letter, Bove said that the “DOJ would need to consider telling the courts ‘f*** you’ and ignore any such court order,” regarding the deportation of individuals subject to the administration’s Alien Enemies Act proclamation. Additionally, two more whistleblowers came forward to corroborate Reuveni’s story.

🚨 BREAKING - HE'S IN: Trump federal judicial nominee Emil Bove CONFIRMED BY THE US SENATE, 50-49.

That's ONE MORE anti-liberal activist on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals.

Bove is Trump's former lawyer.

GOP NO votes: Murkowski, Collins. pic.twitter.com/psQoM91sos

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 30, 2025

Republican Support

Attorney General Pam Bondi was not deterred and chalked Reuveni’s claims up to those of a “disgruntled employee.” Also, Bove denies wrongdoing, and to make matters worse, Reuveni apparently fired under Bove’s watch despite 14 years at the Justice Department.

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) also weighed in, saying that his team had investigated Reuveni’s claims and did not fine evidence that Bove pushed DOJ staff to defy court orders.

“I think he has demonstrated in several ways that he doesn’t respect the authority of the federal courts and doesn’t respect the role of the DOJ attorneys representing the United States before those courts,” one of the whistleblowers told CNN.

However, Grassley said that Democrats used “vicious rhetoric, unfair accusation and abuse directed at Mr. Bove,” and that they “crossed the line” in their attempts:

“He has a strong legal background and has served his country honorably. I believe he will be a diligent, capable, and fair jurist,” Grassley said.