Emil Bove Proves He’s Unfit to Be a Judge

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 25, 2025 – In a heated hearing, Emil Bove, President Trump’s personal criminal attorney and nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals to the Third Circuit, failed to assuage significant concerns about his temperament and ability to serve as a judge. Despite Senate Republicans’ attempts to paint Bove as a victim of a smear campaign, he did not offer any answers to disprove the numerous credible allegations against him except to admit on several occasions: “I’m not perfect,” and that he “could not recollect” occurrences that normal people do not forget.

Bove tried to deny that his dismissal of charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams was a quid pro quo in exchange for enforcement of Trump’s immigration policies. He nevertheless said that “policy reasons” informed the decision, claiming there was a vague “weaponization of the political justice system.” Astonishingly, he claimed that prosecution against Adams burdened Adams’s ability to govern and campaign, prompting Sen. Klobuchar to point out that this would create “two classes of justice” based on whether someone is holding office or not.

Bove also tried to deny that he fired Department of Justice attorneys for their role in prosecuting January 6 insurrectionists. When confronted with his own memo describing those prosecutions as a “grave injustice,” Bove insisted he fired them for “heavy-handed tactics.” He also claimed he fired them only for being probationary attorneys but failed to respond to the clear evidence that he dismissed these attorneys for their part in January 6 prosecutions.

When asked whether President Biden won the 2020 election, Bove would only say that Biden was “certified” as the winner. Whether Biden actually won the most votes, Bove said, was a “political” matter still “tied up in litigation.”

Alliance for Justice President Rachel Rossi issued the following statement:

“Emil Bove did absolutely nothing today to disprove how disturbingly unfit and unqualified he is to serve as a federal judge. His inability to recall making any of the troubling statements he’s been accused of making is a convenient way to avoid answering legitimate questions or being caught lying under oath. Nevertheless, Bove’s loyalty to Trump was on full display as he downplayed the significance of how he’s carried out the administration’s unlawful agenda. The confirmation of Bove to this critical lifetime appointment would significantly undermine the integrity of the judiciary. His nomination must not advance.”