Des Moines Sun

Ahead of the Senate vote on Emil Bove’s nomination to the United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) provided an overview of his committee’s vetting process in response to whistleblower allegations made against Bove.

Grassley addressed the Senate, saying his staff took all disclosures seriously and worked to examine each one: “any assertion that I or my staff was uninterested in the evidence is false.” He added that he has a long history of defending whistleblowers during both Republican and Democratic administrations.

Grassley outlined concerns with how some Democrats handled information related to Bove’s nomination. According to Grassley, Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee received additional records from a whistleblower but did not share them with Republicans until just before a scheduled markup. He criticized what he described as a coordinated media strategy designed to discredit Bove.

“My staff reviewed the disclosures document-by-document and analyzed the facts. The result? Almost none of the material references Mr. Bove at all. More concerningly, the Democrat summary grossly mischaracterized the documents it purported to summarize. In short, the documents didn’t say what Democrats say they did,” Grassley stated.

He said his team interviewed more than a dozen individuals regarding Bove’s nomination, including current and former Justice Department employees. Regarding initial allegations that government lawyers ignored court orders under Bove’s direction, Grassley noted: “Four separate people other than Mr. Bove who were present in the meeting told us… There was never any directive to ignore a court order; and Each of them left the meeting with the understanding that the Justice Department would aggressively litigate, but would follow court orders.”

Grassley also referenced public reporting indicating that prior supervisors supported Bove's account and confirmed that advice given by Bove emphasized avoiding triggering court orders rather than defying them.

As new whistleblower claims surfaced ahead of Bove's final vote—some alleging inconsistent testimony—Grassley said his office sought out relevant evidence but was delayed in receiving it: “My staff assured them that we would review the evidence in good faith, but all weekend, my staff was stonewalled and given the runaround. Any assertion that I or my staff was uninterested in the evidence is false.”

Bove responded to recent allegations with a letter denying any intent to mislead Congress during his testimony. Grassley stated: “In his letter, Mr. Bove flatly denies the allegation that he misled the Committee... He also responds to attacks on his character and rejects allegations against him.”

The chairman criticized last-minute tactics employed by opponents of previous nominees as well as those used against Bove: “If anyone... has information regarding a nominee... I expect them to share it with me in a timely and candid manner so that allegations can be fairly vetted.” He added: “But eleventh-hour media smears by my colleagues based on information hidden from Committee are unacceptable…”

Grassley concluded by expressing continued support for Emil Bove’s nomination: “I look forward to supporting Mr. Bove and urge all of my colleagues to do the same.”