Emil Bove
Emil Bove is a Trump loyalist who has consistently placed ideology over justice and power over principle. During his nearly 10-year tenure as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Bove tormented his staff with his abusive management style and employed coercive legal tactics while litigating cases. This led several attorneys to submit a letter to leadership recommending his demotion. After his tenure at the U.S. attorney’s office, Bove moved on to fellow loyalist Todd Blanche’s firm, where he joined the legal team that defended Trump in his cases about falsifying business records, mishandling classified documents, and election obstruction. After Trump was reelected, he rewarded Bove’s loyalty by appointing him as the acting deputy attorney general and then nominating him to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Throughout his career, Bove has consistently twisted the law to protect the rich and powerful, amplified hateful and divisive rhetoric to target the vulnerable, and weaponized his power to punish dissent.
- Protected Violent Rioters that Tried to Overturn the 2020 Election. While at the Department of Justice (DOJ), Bove sided with violent insurrectionists on Trump’s behalf and targeted prosecutors and FBI personnel who worked on the January 6 Capitol riot investigations. To execute this authoritarian retribution campaign, Bove wrongfully fired more than a dozen prosecutors and eight senior FBI officials for simply doing their jobs. Chillingly, he also criticized law enforcement officials who tried to stop the rioters from murdering government officials.
- Demonstrated Allegiance to Trump’s Authoritarian Agenda Over Justice. Bove has spent much of his career defending Trump and helping him evade accountability for gross abuses of power and federal crimes. This includes the New York trial in which Trump was convicted of falsifying business records and the election obstruction case where Bove disturbingly argued that Trump’s illegal actions were immune from prosecution simply because he was the president, essentially arguing that Trump was above the law. On multiple occasions, when Bove has lost a case, instead of respecting the outcome, he has initiated revenge campaigns against those who tried to hold Trump accountable. In one sinister memo, Bove ordered investigations into all the prosecutor’s offices that brought the aforementioned trials for “targeting” Trump. To Bove, anyone who doesn’t blindly obey Trump must be punished.
- Holds Deeply Racist Attitudes About Non-White Immigrants. In a white-nationalist, dog-whistle-laden memo, Bove urged the DOJ to repel “the invasion of illegal immigration,” deliberately demonizing Black and brown communities and further weaponizing the criminal and immigration legal systems against them. Not only has Bove openly advocated for the return of the death penalty, he advocated for prioritizing the death penalty for crimes committed by undocumented immigrants using offensive language to describe his proposals.” Bove’s monstrous dehumanization of immigrants and his cruel, punitive view of criminal justice show that he prioritizes punishment and political loyalty over fairness, accountability, and public safety.
- Disrupted and Dismantled Civil Rights Enforcement. Bove advanced the far-right campaign against equality under law and declared that policies related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility violate federal civil rights laws. In line with this dangerous and historically untethered assertion, he ordered any DEI-related materials to be suppressed and censored trainings offered by federal affiliates that included terms such as “unconscious bias,” “cultural sensitivity,” or “inclusive leadership.”
- Displays Open Disrespect for the Federal Courts. Bove has shown a zealous commitment to advancing Trump’s extreme agenda — no matter the cost. Bove planned to resist court orders that would block otherwise illegal efforts to deport individuals through deliberate delay and disinformation. He even instructed DOJ staff to consider telling the courts “f**k you.” His actions underscore his willingness to subvert legal accountability in order to further push a cruel and unlawful agenda.
