POLITICO Nightly: A Trump enforcer at DOJ may be getting a promotion

By Ankush Khardori WORTH READING IN ITS ENTIRETY: Before he became Trump’s bulldog at DOJ, Emil Bove was nearly demoted for bellicose management style excerpt:  By early 2022, Bove had left the office, moving to a New Jersey-based firm, Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC. But he didn’t stay there long. In the fall of 2023, he went to work at the newly conceived firm of another former prosecutor in the Southern District of New York: Todd Blanche. The two became Trump’s lead criminal defense attorneys, handling the two federal criminal cases against him as well as the state criminal case in which Trump was convicted at trial of 34 felony counts of business fraud. He has indicated he will appeal the verdict. POLITICO WHAT I FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT THIS CASE WAS THAT IT HAD TO DO WITH BUSINESS FRAUD YET TRUMP & COUNSEL PERPETUATED THE PUBLIC DISINFORMATION THAT TRUMP CLAIMED "I HAVE NEVER MET THE WOMAN (MEANING 'STORMY DANIELS') WHICH WAS NEVER THE ISSUE!  MAYBE THE PUBLIC BELIEVED THAT, BUT THE JURY  DIDN'T! Attorney Emil Bove (center) looks on as Donald Trump speaks to the press after arriving to his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on May 10, 2024. | Pool photo by Todd Heisler BOVE AND BEYOND — Just a few years ago, Emil Bove cut a familiar figure as a former federal prosecutor. He had left the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York after a nearly decade-long stint that saw some ups and downs , and he was off to the private sector. Countless federal prosecutors have traveled that path before, and the result for the vast majority of them is a well-paid form of professional obscurity working as a white-collar defense lawyer for well-heeled companies and individuals. To say that Bove’s rise in the political world since then has been swift and unpredictable would be a considerable understatement. In 2023, Bove joined fellow SDNY veteran Todd Blanche on Trump’s criminal defense team, an endeavor that launched them into the national spotlight — one that would make or break their careers. In the end, they lost the most prominent legal battle — a criminal trial in Manhattan that resulted in Trump being convicted of an illegal hush-money payment in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election — but they won the war . Trump managed to delay and ultimately outrun the most potent legal threat against him — a federal criminal trial on charges stemming from his effort to overturn the 2020 election — and was reelected. Blanche is now the Deputy Attorney General and Bove is the Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General — essentially the deputy to the deputy, one of the most powerful positions in the Justice Department. Just a few months into the job, Bove’s rapid ascent in the world of law and politics may not be over. Trump is considering nominating Bove to serve as a federal appeals court judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, according to initial reporting this week from The New York Times that has since been confirmed by other outlets. (The Third Circuit hears appeals from the district courts in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.) Bove’s aspiration to serve on the court is not new — colleagues from his time at SDNY were aware even then of his interest — but Bove has since become a far more controversial figure. Bove served as acting Deputy Attorney General while Blanche awaited confirmation, and during that time, he was responsible for dismissing the criminal case against New York Mayor Eric Adams — leading to the resignation of the acting U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, along with a slew of other prosecutors . Many legal observers concluded that Trump was doing Adams a political favor, perhaps as part of a bargain (unstated or otherwise) in which Adams would assist the Trump administration with its crackdown on illegal immigration. The presiding judge eventually dismissed the case against Adams — as a practical matter, the judge did not have much choice. But in a written opinion , he criticized Bove and the Justice Department for making arguments in support of dismissal that were “unsupported by any objective evidence,” “pretextual” and “unsubstantiated.” Comments from a judge like that would usually end a prosecutor’s career. That is not what happened to Bove. During the same interim period, Bove took the lead dismissing or transferring a host of DOJ career officials and gathering the names of FBI agents who had worked on the Jan. 6 investigation. He also issued a memo that instructed federal prosecutors to investigate and potentially prosecute state and local officials who impede the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. (They meant it: Last week, federal prosecutors indicted a Wisconsin judge on charges that she had attempted to conceal an undocumented immigrant from arrest and obstructed federal law enforcement.) On top of that, Bove is helping to lead a so-called DOJ Weaponization Working Group that has been tasked with reviewing the conduct of the federal prosecutors and FBI agents who pursued Trump and investigated the siege of the Capitol on Jan. 6. These moves generated political controversy and indignation among Trump’s political opponents, who accused Bove of doing the very thing that Trump had attributed to the Justice Department under Biden: politicizing and “weaponizing” the Justice Department and the FBI against the president’s political opponents. If Bove is nominated to fill the Third Circuit vacancy, Democrats are likely to use the confirmation hearing to probe Bove’s work in these areas and to argue that Bove is being rewarded for his loyalty to the president, not to mention and his willingness to serve as a hatchet man at DOJ in the first months of Trump’s second term. Whether that would be enough to derail the nomination — particularly given Trump’s grip on Republicans in Congress — is impossible to know. Bove’s move would have some precedent, at least on the surface. He would not, for instance, be the first person who served as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General at DOJ right before being nominated to serve on a federal appeals court. Former attorney general Merrick Garland did it. Bove would also not be the first high-profile federal prosecutor to be elevated to a seat on the Third Circuit. Something similar happened 35 years ago, when George H.W. Bush appointed a conservative U.S. Attorney for New Jersey to serve on the same bench. The judge’s career did not end there. About fifteen years later, Samuel Alito became a Supreme Court justice. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at akhardori@politico.com .   A fresh chapter for Playbook —powered by bold reporting and unrivaled access. Jack Blanchard leads with clear-eyed analysis on Trump’s second term. Dasha Burns brings exclusive White House scoops as one of the most sourced Trump reporters in D.C. Adam Wren writes the must-read political storytelling every weekend. Sign up now to read what Washington’s power players use to drive their day.     What'd I Miss? ***NEW JERSEY REP. LaMONICA McIVER, Democrat!**** — New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver faces felony assault charge in conflict at ICE facility, court filing shows: New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver is facing a felony charge of assaulting a federal officer for allegedly pushing a pair of unnamed Homeland Security agents during a scuffle that broke out earlier this month as three House members were trying to visit an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, a court filing released today shows. The criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Newark alleges McIver “slammed her forearm” into one agent and “forcibly” grabbed him. The Democratic congressmember is also accused of using “each of her forearms to forcibly strike” another officer, according to the complaint, which includes multiple photos from video cameras worn by officers, as well as others mounted outside the facility. ****DEFYING COURT ORDERS! DUE PROCESS?  SOUTH SUDAN? ICE GESTAPO ABUSE!**** —  Trump admin deports immigrants to South Sudan in violation of court order, lawyers say: The Trump administration has deported at least two immigrants to war-torn South Sudan in defiance of a federal court order , according to attorneys for the immigrants. The two men are originally from Myanmar and Vietnam and were being held in U.S. immigration custody. Their lawyers say they learned of the deportation plan after receiving an abrupt notice Monday evening. By this morning, the men were already on a plane along with as many as 10 other deportees, the lawyers said. excerpt:  That judge, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, has already intervened once before when the Trump administration seemed poised to deport people to Libya, a country that, like South Sudan, is mired in a humanitarian crisis. Murphy declared that summary deportations to Libya would “clearly” violate his earlier order.  The lawyers revealed these details in an emergency motion to a federal judge in Boston who has already forbidden the Trump administration from sending foreign nationals to so-called “third-party countries,” rather than their country of origin, without providing “meaningful” notice and a chance to raise concern about torture. That judge, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, has already intervened once before when the Trump administration seemed poised to deport people to Libya, a country that, like South Sudan, is mired in a humanitarian crisis. Murphy declared that summary deportations to Libya would “clearly” violate his earlier order. Lawyers for the Burmese man, identified by the initials N.M. in court papers, say he was originally slated to be on one of those flights to Libya, which they say were aborted amid national media and legal scrutiny. They also say the notice to N.M. about the deportation to South Sudan was provided only in English, apparently violating another requirement of Murphy’s order because N.M. has limited English proficiency. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. South Sudan, a landlocked country in East Africa, gained independence from Sudan in 2011. It is the world’s newest widely recognized sovereign state. The country descended into civil war in 2013, causing tens of thousands of deaths and displacing millions of people. According to the CIA, the country remains plagued by ethnic violence and is facing a food crisis, with nearly two-thirds of the country’s 11 million citizens in need of humanitarian assistance. A March 2025 advisory from the U.S. State Department recommends that Americans not travel to South Sudan due to a high risk of violent crime and weak human rights. ***MAGA GOP: TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY & ENDLESS DEFICITS...JUST THE BEGINNING! SLASHING MEDICAID THAT WILL DRIVE ALL HEALTH CARE COSTS UP!  SLASHING FOOD PROGRAMS! ARE MAGA GOP THAT DEPRAVED?  PRESIDENT CLINTON & AL GORE LEFT OFFICE WITH BUDGET SURPLUSSES INTO THE FUTURE...TRUMP CREATED THE MASSIVE DEFICIT WITH HIS FIRST REIGN OF ECONOMIC DESTRUCTION!  OBJECTIONS TO SALT DEDUCTIONS SHOULD NOT BE THE SOLE ISSUE! SLASHING GOVERNMENT! CLOSING OFFICES! NWS & NOAH NO LONGER WARN OF CATASTROPHIC WEATHER! FEMA UNAVAILABLE TO HELP! RESEARCH, EDUCATION, IRS, SOCIAL SECURITY GONE! CBO PROJECTED A $7 BILLION ADDED DEBT! CREDIT SOURCES HAVE DOWNGRADED U.S. CREDIT RATING BECAUSE THE BILL IS SO HORRIFIC!  THE WEALTHY BENEFIT FROM HIGH INTEREST RATES! NO ONE ELSE DOES! PLEASE SPEAK OUT AGAINST TRUMP'S BANANA REPUBLIC! ***** — Trump moves to steamroll megabill opposition: President Donald Trump moved today to end the quarrelling among various GOP factions and move his domestic-policy megabill toward passage, telling House Republicans behind closed doors that they need to unite immediately behind the “big, beautiful bill” their leaders have assembled. Not all GOP lawmakers left the meeting convinced . Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, chair of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, said he was not yet supporting the bill and that Republicans were “still a long ways away” from a deal. And Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, part of a vocal group of blue-state Republicans pushing for a key tax break, said he also remained unmoved despite Trump calling him out by name inside the room. — GOP megabill to save Congress nearly $800 billion — while kicking millions of people off health insurance: A draft portion of the House GOP’s party-line megabill would lead to nearly $800 billion in savings over 10 years — but would lead to 8.6 million more people losing their health insurance at the same time, according to an estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released today. Of that number of people due to go uninsured, 7.6 million would lose Medicaid benefits, and 1 million people would come from plans purchased through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. — Musk to step back from political spending: ‘I think I’ve done enough’: Elon Musk said he plans to cut back on political spending, saying he has “done enough ,” a move that coincides with the billionaire entrepreneur taking a step back from President Donald Trump’s Washington. Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum today, the Tesla CEO said he would “do a lot less” political spending “in the future,” adding: “I think I’ve done enough.” ****MARCO RUBIO: INCOMPETENT BOOB!  RUSSIAN SANCTIONS ARE THE SOLUTION - DON'T EXPECT TRUMP TO HURT HIS BUDDY PUTIN!  TRUMP: FAIL! **** — U.S. waiting for Russian peace proposal, Rubio says: Russia has pledged to send the U.S. “terms for what they would require in order to reach a ceasefire ” with Ukraine following this week’s phone call between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said today. “It’s our understanding that the Russians are going to write up terms for what they would require in order to reach a ceasefire that then would allow broader negotiations,” Rubio told a Senate committee in a public hearing. “We await those terms and then we’ll have a much better understanding about Mr. Putin’s calculation once we see what those terms look like.”   Policy moves fast—stay ahead with POLITICO’s Policy Intelligence Assistant . Effortlessly search POLITICO's archive of 1M+ news articles, analysis documents, and legislative text. Track legislation, showcase your impact, and generate custom reports in seconds. Designed for POLITICO Pro subscribers, this tool helps you make faster, smarter decisions. Start exploring now .     AROUND THE WORLD British Foreign Secretary David Lammy arrives to attend the weekly Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street on May 20, 2025 in London. | Carl Court/Getty Images ***ISRAEL!**** TAKING A PAUSE — Britain has halted free trade agreement negotiations with Israel , in response to Israel’s block on aid to Gaza. The halt to negotiations was announced as part of a package of measures, including sanctions on three individuals, two illegal settler outposts and two organizations supporting violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank. In a statement to the House of Commons today, Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned Israel’s 11-week blockade and ground operation in Gaza, which he said had left civilians facing “starvation, homelessness [and] trauma.” “As the prime minister and fellow leaders said yesterday, we cannot stand by in the face of this new deterioration,” Lammy said. “It is incompatible with the principles that underpin our bilateral relationship. Rejected by Members across this House and frankly it’s an affront to the values of the British people.” NECESSARY PRESSURE — A strong majority of EU countries want to review the political and economic agreement between Israel and the European Union over the "catastrophic" situation in Gaza, Kaja Kallas said today. The EU-Israel Association Agreement entered into force in 2000 and covers topics ranging from the framework for political dialogue to agriculture and the free exchange of goods. Any EU review based on concerns about rights would send a strong diplomatic signal. "The situation in Gaza is catastrophic," said Kallas, the EU's top diplomat. "The aid that Israel has allowed in is of course welcomed, but it's a drop in the ocean. Aid must flow immediately without obstruction and at scale because this is what is needed." "I've made these points also with my talks with Israelis," she continued. "Also I've had talks with the UN and the regional leaders as well. Pressure is necessary to change the situation." ****ROMANIA!*** STOP THE STEAL — Romanian hard-right leader George Simion announced today he will contest his defeat in last Sunday’s presidential election, alleging foreign inference . Centrist Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan won the second round of the vote, which was rerun after a first election last November was annulled over concerns about Russian meddling. “We will contest the election at the Constitutional Court for the same reasons they annulled the elections in December,” Simion said, citing “external influence and institutional compromise.” “We now have irrefutable evidence of meddling by France, Moldova and other actors, in an orchestrated effort to manipulate institutions, direct media narratives, and ultimately impose a result that does not reflect the sovereign will of the Romanian people.” Nightly Number $25 billion The amount of money that President Donald Trump is pouring into his “Golden Dome” project , a fraction of the amount it would eventually cost to build the ambitious national missile system he’s demanded. RADAR SWEEP UNDERCOVER HOMEBUYERS — Washington has been home to high-profile individuals for centuries, but the rising number of billionaires, tech moguls and prominent families moving to the city has sparked a surge in the DMV’s secret luxury home market. Wealthy buyers seeking to shield their identity don’t find homes on Zillow or Redfin . Instead, they turn to private listings and ask for early morning showings, when minimal people are on the streets, or for the agents and everyone involved to sign NDAs. It’s not uncommon for the ultra-wealthy to purchase homes under LLCs or trusts or make modifications to block nosy neighbors looking for a scoop, write Eric Wills, Kate Corliss and Michele Lerner for Washingtonian . Parting Image On this date in 1993: “Cheers” star Woody Harrelson acknowledges the crowd as he arrives for the show's finale at Boston’s Bull and Finch Pub. | John Centrino/AP Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here .   Follow us on X Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh   Follow us

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