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January 6th<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n Facebook<\/p>\n Tweet<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Email Link<\/p>\n \n Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official who also defended Donald Trump<\/a> in his criminal indictments, has been confirmed to a lifetime appointment as a federal appellate judge, despite accusations from a handful of whistleblowers accusing him of improperly overseeing cases for the administration.\n <\/p>\n \n Bove\u2019s nomination to the bench for the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals was one of the most controversial of Trump\u2019s appointments so far, especially within the legal community, where intense opposition from hundreds of former Justice Department prosecutors<\/a> and dozens of former judges<\/a> emerged in recent weeks.\n <\/p>\n \n Still, materials brought forward to the Senate Judiciary Committee by three whistleblowers were not enough to derail Bove\u2019s nomination. Taken together, the complaints portrayed Bove at Trump\u2019s Justice Department as a leader frustrated with underlings as he pressured them to align with the president\u2019s policies even if he faced significant opposition, according to multiple people familiar with whistleblower accusations.\n <\/p>\n \n The Senate approved the nomination 50-49, largely along party lines.\n <\/p>\n \n CNN has reached out to the Department of Justice but did not receive a response.\n <\/p>\n \n A Justice Department spokesman previously told CNN that Bove \u201cwill make an excellent judge.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cEmil\u202fBove\u202fis a highly qualified judicial nominee who has done incredible work at the Department of Justice to help protect civil rights, dismantle Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and Make America Safe Again,\u201d spokesperson Gates McGavick told CNN. \u201cHe will make an excellent judge \u2014 the Department\u2019s loss will be the Third Circuit\u2019s gain.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Among the accusations raised by whistleblowers in recent months were concerns over Bove\u2019s interactions with rank-and-file prosecutors.\n <\/p>\n \n In one case, at least some members of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee \u2013 the panel responsible for advancing Bove to a full Senate vote \u2013 were made aware of an audio recording of a meeting that Bove held with prosecutors earlier this year in which he pushed them to follow orders and dismiss the federal corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams, sources told CNN.\n <\/p>\n \n Democrats on the committee looked into whether the whistleblower\u2019s disclosures contradicted Bove\u2019s Senate testimony about the meeting and his denial that he threatened to punish prosecutors who refused to dismiss the Adams case in line with the administration\u2019s agenda. Sources have described the existence and substance of an audio recording to CNN, but CNN has not independently listened to it.\n <\/p>\n \n Two other whistleblowers went to the Senate Judiciary Committee with concerns about Bove\u2019s approach to the courts while pushing Trump\u2019s immigration agenda, which has at times deprived detainees of due process.\n <\/p>\n \n In the wake of some of the allegations against Bove, Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee walked out of a key vote earlier this month<\/a> in protest. But Bove\u2019s nomination advanced over their opposition with all 12 Republicans on the panel voting to move it forward.\n <\/p>\n \n Leading up to the final vote Tuesday, Democratic Sen. Cory Booker said he had obtained new documentation related to Bove\u2019s alleged actions, claiming to have \u201csubstantive information\u201d to share with his colleagues about the nomination and inviting them to view it for themselves.\n <\/p>\n
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