The Senate narrowly confirmed Emil Bove, a former defense attorney for Donald Trump, to a lifetime seat on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday, brushing aside whistleblower allegations of misconduct during his time at the Justice Department.
The confirmation passed on a razor-thin 50–49 vote, with Republican Senators Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) joining all Democrats in opposing the nomination. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) was absent.
Bove, 44, will now serve on the federal appeals court that oversees cases in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. His nomination sparked controversy due to his involvement in several high-profile decisions during his DOJ tenure — including his work to dismiss federal prosecutors handling the Capitol riot cases and alleged interference in a federal corruption investigation involving New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Bove denied any wrongdoing but struggled to address whistleblower claims, including a statement from former DOJ official Erez Reuveni, who accused Bove of instructing prosecutors that Trump administration officials might ignore federal court orders that could disrupt immigration enforcement. One such claim involved Bove allegedly demanding deportation flights to El Salvador’s notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) continue “no matter what,” despite a federal judge’s ruling to halt them.
“I respect this process and came here to answer questions about difficult decisions, but I want to be clear: the portrayal of me in the media is wrong,” Bove told lawmakers. “I am not a political enforcer — I’m just a lawyer from a small town who believes in the rule of law.”
The scrutiny intensified after a second whistleblower released audio from a February DOJ video call in which Bove allegedly gave New York prosecutors just one hour to determine who would move to dismiss the corruption case against Mayor Adams. The pressure reportedly led several prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, where Bove once worked, to resign in protest. Bove told senators he had “no recollection” of that call.
Despite these concerns, Republican senators — minus Collins and Murkowski — moved forward with the confirmation, bolstering the conservative majority on the influential appeals court.
