Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• DOJ leader allegedly suggested defying court orders on deportations — Emil Bove, the Department of Justice's principal associate deputy attorney general and Trump nominee for the US Court of Appeals, reportedly told staff the department "would need to consider telling the courts 'fuck you'" regarding orders blocking deportations of undocumented people. Former DOJ attorney Erez Reuveni, in a whistleblower letter to Congress, alleged Bove made these comments in mid-March during discussions about invoking the Alien Enemies Act. Reuveni further claimed he witnessed DOJ officials systematically undermining court orders through lack of candor, deliberate delay, and disinformation, and that he was fired on April 11 after refusing to misrepresent facts in court filings.
• DOJ official Emil Bove stated DOJ would ignore court orders on deportations — DOJ lawyer Erez Reuveni, who was subsequently fired, came forward as a whistleblower to Congress and the DOJ inspector general. Reuveni stated that senior DOJ official Emil Bove announced plans to invoke the Alien Enemies Act for swift deportations and, when asked about potential judicial intervention, said the DOJ might have to tell courts "fuck you" and proceed with deportations regardless of legal injunctions. Reuveni reported that the statement was met with stunned silence among senior DOJ officials present.
• New York Times reported DOJ official Emil Bove told subordinates to ignore court orders — On June 24, the New York Times reported on a whistleblower complaint alleging that senior Justice Department official Emil Bove told his subordinates he would ignore court orders to further Trump's mass deportation efforts. Bove, who once served as Trump's criminal defense attorney and was recently nominated to serve as a federal appeals judge, later denied the comments during his confirmation hearing, saying "I have never advised a Department of Justice attorney to violate a court order."
• DOJ whistleblower Erez Reuveni filed complaint about defying court orders — On June 24, 2025, Erez Reuveni, a former Department of Justice lawyer, filed an official whistleblower complaint alleging that DOJ leaders and the White House deliberately defied court orders and "engaged in unlawful activity, abused their authority, created substantial and specific threat to health and safety." Reuveni was fired after telling a court that the administration had made an error when it rendered Maryland man Kilmar Abrego Garcia to CECOT despite a court order not to do so. In the complaint, Reuveni alleged that Emil Bove insisted planes carrying men to El Salvador must take off and said DOJ "would need to consider telling the courts 'f*ck you' and ignore any such court order."
• Bove fired DOJ prosecutors who investigated January 6 Capitol attack — Emil Bove issued a memo terminating dozens of DOJ prosecutors who had worked on cases related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, characterizing their prosecutions as a "grave national injustice." Bove justified the firings by claiming the prosecutors had been hired as temporary employees under the Biden administration and converted to permanent status, and that they were preventing a particular U.S. attorney from fully staffing his office. The terminations were carried out in furtherance of a Trump executive order.
• Whistleblower complaint filed alleging DOJ official directed defiance of court orders — Former DOJ attorney Erez Reuveni filed a whistleblower complaint alleging that Emil Bove, principal associate deputy attorney general, instructed prosecutors to disregard judicial rulings against Trump's immigration policies. The complaint surfaced hours before Bove's Senate confirmation hearing for a federal appeals court judgeship. Bove denied the allegations under oath, stating he has "never advised a Department of Justice attorney to violate a court order."
• Emil Bove denies whistleblower allegations of directing DOJ staff to defy court orders on immigration — Emil Bove, principal associate deputy attorney general and Trump's nominee for federal appeals court judge, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 25, 2025, denying a whistleblower complaint filed by former DOJ attorney Erez Reuveni. Reuveni alleged Bove instructed prosecutors to tell courts "fuck you" when ruling against Trump's immigration policies. Bove also denied Democratic allegations that he dropped corruption charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams to secure his cooperation with immigration enforcement. Republicans signaled support for his nomination while Democrats characterized him as weaponizing the DOJ against Trump's political opponents.