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Emil Bove forcefully rejected criticisms that he was President Donald Trump's "henchman" or "enforcer" during a Senate hearing Wednesday focused on his nomination by Trump to serve as a federal judge.
Bove, a top Department of Justice (DOJ) official vying to fill a lifetime role on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, said media reports painted a "wildly inaccurate caricature" about him.
"I am not anybody’s henchman. I’m not an enforcer," Bove said, referring to descriptors used in headlines about him. "I’m a lawyer from a small town who never expected to be in an arena like this."
Bove served as a key attorney on Trump's personal defense team during the president's four criminal prosecutions. Prior to that, he led drug trafficking and terrorism cases during his decade as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York.
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Emil Bove, President Donald Trump's nominee to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, is sworn in before testifying during his Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing on June 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
But Bove's formidable demeanor and controversial decisions upon joining DOJ leadership, which included dismissing New York City Mayor Eric Adams' corruption charges and warning of personnel action for FBI employees who worked on Jan. 6 cases, have caused his nomination to the powerful appellate court bench to attract heightened scrutiny.
Capping off a string of reports examining these controversies was a whistleblower claim leveled Tuesday, one day prior to Bove's nomination hearing.
The whistleblower, Erez Reuveni, a 15-year veteran of the department who was fired this year for perceived insubordination, alleged that Bove warned during an internal meeting that DOJ attorneys might need to say "f*** you" to judges and defy any adverse orders they issue regarding one of Trump's most provocative maneuvers to deport alleged illegal immigrants.
Senate Democrats, who have widely objected to Bove's nomination, grilled the nominee over the claim, noting that flouting court orders was unconstitutional and disqualifying. Bove said he has never advised anyone to defy judges' orders.
"Did you or did you not make those comments during that meeting?" Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., pressed.
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Senator Adam Schiff, D-Calif., pictured at a hearing. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
"I did not suggest that there would be any need to consider ignoring court orders. At the point at that meeting there were no court orders to discuss," Bove said.
Schiff repeated the profane phrase several times, asking if Bove said it in relation to the courts.
"I don't recall," Bove said.
"You just don't remember that," Schiff replied incredulously.
Other Democrats pressed Bove on the Adams saga, which had led in February to a handful of high-level DOJ employees resigning in protest of Bove's order that they dismiss the mayor's federal corruption charges. A judge ultimately dropped Adams's charges at Bove's request, but not before excoriating the DOJ for giving "inconsistent" justifications for wanting to drop the case.
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Emil Bove III speaks with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche before his confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Bove was accused by the ousted lawyers of asking the courts to toss out Adams's charges in exchange for the mayor's cooperation with the Trump administration's immigration policy. Bove denied the allegation when pressed on it.
"The suggestion that there was some kind of quid pro quo was just plain false," Bove said.
Despite Democrats' concerns, as well as concerns voiced by some defense lawyers who said they have had negative experiences with the nominee, Bove has some loyal supporters. No Republican senators have voiced opposition to him at this stage, a sign that he could eventually be confirmed, albeit narrowly.
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In an interview prior to the hearing, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Bove's longtime friend and colleague, told Fox News Digital that Bove was a "freaking brilliant lawyer."
Blanche said reports that Bove was unqualified were "distorted" and that installing him on the Third Circuit was a "no-brainer."
Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. Email story tips to ashley.oliver@fox.com.