WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker joined all of his Democratic colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee in calling for Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to schedule a hearing to have Erez Reuveni, the former Acting Deputy Director for the Office of Immigration Litigation at the Department of Justice, testify under oath about the recent disclosures of serious misconduct allegations against judicial nominee Emil Bove, including directing Department of Justice attorneys to ignore a court order. Last week, Mr. Reuveni provided the Committee documentation that corroborates the allegations. The Senators called for the hearing before the Judiciary Committee vote on Bove’s nomination, which is set to take place on Thursday, July 17.
In a letter to Grassley, the Senators wrote: “We respectfully request that you call Erez Reuveni to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee prior to the Committee’s vote on the nomination of Emil J. Bove III to be a U.S. Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Mr. Reuveni has made credible allegations against Mr. Bove, which, if true, clearly disqualify him for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench. Thus, it is imperative that the Committee hear from Mr. Reuveni, under oath, before we vote on Mr. Bove’s nomination.”
The Senators then cited Mr. Reuveni’s document production related to J.G.G. v. Trump, Abrego Garcia v. Noem, and D.V.D. v. DHS, writing: “Documentation provided by Mr. Reuveni demonstrates that he unsuccessfully attempted to secure government compliance with court orders in three separate cases being overseen by Mr. Bove in his role as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General.”
The Senators concluded by highlighting the importance of understanding Mr. Bove’s role in these concerning episodes before voting on his judicial nomination and requested testimony, writing: “Mr. Bove repeatedly gestured at but never invoked deliberative process privilege at his hearing and in answers to written questions, undermining our ability to assess whether Mr. Bove engaged in the alleged misconduct and continuing executive branch officials’ use of ‘non-assertion’ assertions of privilege to defy congressional inquiries. Calling Mr. Reuveni to testify under oath will allow members of this Committee to appraise the veracity of his claims while defending the Committee’s prerogative to assess Mr. Bove’s qualifications…It is critical that this Committee understands the full scope of Mr. Bove’s actions at the Justice Department prior to voting on his nomination to a lifetime appointment on the federal bench. Given that Mr. Reuveni is willing to testify regarding this matter, we urge you to invite him before the Committee before proceeding to a vote on Mr. Bove’s nomination.”
To read the full text of the letter, click here.