More than 75 former judges urge Senate committee to reject Trump judicial nominee Emil Bove

More than 75 former federal and state judges on Tuesday called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to reject the nomination of Emil Bove, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, to a prestigious appeals-court judgeship.

More than 75 former federal and state judges on Tuesday called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to reject the nomination of Emil Bove, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, to a prestigious appeals-court judgeship. “Mr. Bove’s egregious record of mistreating law enforcement officers, abusing power, and disregarding the law itself disqualifies him for this position,” the group wrote, pointing to a series of controversies Bove has been at the center of over the past six months while serving as a high-ranking Justice Department official. Those include investigating FBI and DOJ officials who worked on cases related to the January 6, 2021, insurrection and dropping federal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The letter also noted allegations that Bove “explicitly plotted to violate court orders and direct law enforcement officers to engage in illegal acts” in an effort to further Trump’s deportation agenda, referring to a whistleblower report from a former Justice Department attorney. “That whistleblower, Erez Reuveni, has provided members of this committee with compelling evidence and volunteered to testify under oath,” the letter continued. “The Senate has a duty to hear that testimony.” Bove, who would serve a lifetime appointment on the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals if confirmed by the Senate, repeatedly denied several accusations of corruption during his confirmation hearing last month before the Judiciary committee. “I am not anybody’s henchman,” Bove told the panel on June 25. “I’m not an enforcer. I’m a lawyer from a small town, who never expected to be in an arena like this.”