WASHINGTON, DC — A Justice Department whistleblower has filed a formal complaint alleging that Emil Bove, a senior DOJ official and current nominee for a lifetime federal judgeship, suggested the department should consider defying federal court orders to advance the administration’s deportation agenda. The allegation comes just one day before Bove’s confirmation hearing for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

• The Allegation – Erez Reuveni, a recently fired 15-year DOJ veteran, filed a 27-page complaint claiming that during a March 14 meeting, Bove stated the DOJ might need to tell courts ’f**k you’ and ignore orders that could impede deportation plans involving the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.
• The Denial – Both the White House and DOJ leadership have strongly refuted the claims. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who says he attended the March meeting, called the allegations ‘utterly false’ and dismissed them as ‘falsehoods purportedly made by a disgruntled former employee.’
• The Stakes – The whistleblower complaint was submitted to Congress and multiple government watchdog agencies on Tuesday, raising questions about whether Bove should receive Senate confirmation for a lifetime appointment to the federal appeals court, with his hearing scheduled for Wednesday.

The complaint, filed through Reuveni’s attorneys with the House and Senate Judiciary Committees as well as the DOJ Inspector General, details events from March and April centering on what Reuveni describes as the administration’s plans to rapidly deport noncitizens using emergency wartime powers.

What Does the Whistleblower Claim?

According to the formal complaint, during a March 14 meeting about plans to invoke the Alien Enemies Act — a 1798 wartime statute that allows for the detention and deportation of nationals from hostile countries — Emil Bove addressed the possibility of federal courts issuing injunctions to halt such deportations.

The complaint alleges that Bove “stated that D.O.J. would need to consider telling the courts ‘fuck you’ and ignore any such order.” Reuveni, who served as an immigration litigator for the department, claims the statement left others in the room “stunned.”

The whistleblower further alleges that over a subsequent three-week period, he witnessed plans by DOJ leadership “to resist court orders that would impede potentially illegal efforts to deport noncitizens” through “lack of candor, deliberate delay and disinformation.”

Reuveni was terminated in April after informing a federal judge that the administration had deported an immigrant in error, according to the complaint.

Who Are the Key Figures?

Erez Reuveni worked as a career attorney at the Justice Department for 15 years, specializing in immigration litigation. His attorneys contend he was fired in retaliation after “doing his job and telling the truth to the court” about the erroneous deportation.

Emil Bove currently serves as a senior official in the deputy attorney general’s office and has been nominated by President Trump for a lifetime appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Before joining the DOJ in this administration, Bove worked as a personal defense attorney for Trump in multiple criminal cases, including the Manhattan hush money case that resulted in Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts.

Todd Blanche, the current Deputy Attorney General, confirms he was present at the March 14 meeting but categorically denies the allegations. Blanche also previously served as Trump’s personal attorney before joining the administration.

What Is the Official Response?

The White House and Justice Department have issued strong denials of the whistleblower’s claims. A White House spokesman praised Bove as “an incredibly talented legal mind and a staunch defender of the U.S. Constitution.”

Deputy Attorney General Blanche stated unequivocally: “At no time did anyone suggest a court order should not be followed.” He characterized media coverage of the complaint as a “false hit piece a day before a confirmation hearing.”

The allegations have drawn immediate reaction from Capitol Hill. Senator Richard Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, called the claims “serious allegations” that “demonstrate that his activities are part of a broader pattern by President Trump and his allies to undermine the Justice Department’s commitment to the rule of law.”

Bove’s confirmation hearing is scheduled to proceed as planned on Wednesday, where senators are expected to question him directly about the allegations.

The complaint raises broader questions about the administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act, which has been invoked only three times in U.S. history — during the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II — and has never been used during peacetime for immigration enforcement.