Trump appeals court nominee Emil Bove denies whistleblower's claim that he told lawyers to ignore court orders

Top Justice Department official Emil Bove, who has been nominated for the federal appeals bench, testified before the Senate Wednesday that he never told department attorneys to ignore court orders, denying the account of a whistleblower.  

Bove, a former criminal defense attorney who represented President Trump, rejected suggestions by Democrats that the claims of whistleblower, former Justice Department attorney Erez Reuveni, render him unfit to serve on the appeals court. His nomination has come under scrutiny after Reuveni said in a complaint made public Tuesday that in one meeting, Bove had used an expletive when saying the Trump administration might need to ignore judicial commands.

"I have never advised a Department of Justice attorney to violate a court order," Bove told the Senate Judiciary Committee. He added, "I don't think there's any validity to the suggestion that that whistleblower complaint filed yesterday calls into question my qualifications to serve as a circuit judge."