A Decorated Career Turns to Whistleblowing
A veteran Department of Justice attorney has come forward with explosive allegations of being instructed to lie to a federal judge and defy court orders during the second Trump administration. Erez Reuveni, who served for 15 years as a career attorney at the DOJ, detailed his experience in a recent “60 Minutes” interview, claiming he was fired after refusing to participate in what he described as a systemic abuse of power and a blatant disregard for the rule of law.
Reuveni, who had been promoted for his effective defense of the administration’s immigration policies, said his career was upended by a series of events that began on March 14, 2025. On the very day he was promoted to acting deputy director of the immigration section, he was summoned to a meeting that he says changed everything.
The ‘Alien Enemies Act’ and a Shocking Directive
In the meeting, Emil Bove, then the newly appointed number three official at the Justice Department, announced a plan to use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. This wartime law, invoked only three times in U.S. history, was to be used to rapidly deport over 100 Venezuelans whom the government had labeled as terrorists, stripping them of their right to a court hearing.
According to Reuveni, Bove anticipated legal challenges and gave a startling directive. “Bove emphasized, those planes need to take off, no matter what,” Reuveni stated. He alleges Bove then added, “and if some court should issue an order preventing that, we may have to consider telling that court, ‘f*** you.’”
Defiance in the Face of a Court Order
The following day, lawyers for the detainees filed a lawsuit. During an emergency hearing, U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg asked government lawyer Drew Ensign if the deportation flights were scheduled for that weekend. Despite having been at the meeting where the timeline was explicitly discussed, Ensign told the judge, “I don’t know.”
The planes took off while the hearing was still in progress. Judge Boasberg subsequently issued an order to halt any further removals and to return any planes already in the air. Reuveni immediately emailed the relevant agencies to relay the judge’s order, but he says it was ignored. More than five hours later, the detainees arrived at a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. “That was just a real gut punch,” Reuveni said. “We really did just tell the courts, we don’t care about your order.”
A Refusal to Lie Leads to Termination
The situation escalated when it was discovered that a Salvadoran man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, had been deported by mistake on one of the flights. Reuveni claims he was ordered by a superior to argue against Abrego Garcia’s return by filing a court brief that falsely labeled him an MS-13 gang member and a terrorist.
“That is not factually correct. It is not legally correct. That is a lie. And I cannot sign my name to that brief,” Reuveni recalled telling his superiors. After his refusal, he was fired.
These allegations are part of a broader pattern of concern, according to some legal experts. A study by a team at New York University, as reported by digitaltrendstoday.com, found over 35 cases where federal judges accused the Trump administration’s DOJ of providing false or misleading information. Peter Keisler, who served as Acting Attorney General under President George W. Bush, emphasized that while the DOJ can appeal a court order, “while the order is in effect, it’s the obligation of the department to see to it that the government complies.”
The Aftermath and Official Denials
In June 2025, Reuveni, with the help of the Government Accountability Project, filed a formal whistleblower disclosure. Since then, several key developments have occurred:
- Kilmar Abrego Garcia was returned to the U.S. He was not charged with terrorism, and a judge criticized the DOJ’s “poor attempts” to connect him to MS-13.
- In April, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that individuals deported under the Alien Enemies Act are entitled to their day in court.
- Emil Bove, when questioned about the allegations during his confirmation hearing for a federal judgeship, stated, “I have never advised a Department of Justice attorney to violate a court order.” When asked if he used an expletive to describe the courts, he replied, “I don’t recall.” Bove was confirmed to the judgeship.
Reuveni maintains that he is speaking out to honor his oath to the Constitution. “I would not be faithfully abiding by my oath if I stayed silent right now,” he said.
