A former Justice Department lawyer has filed a whistleblower complaint alleging Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove conspired with other top officials on how to mislead courts about mass deportations and to potentially ignore judges’ rulings outright. The complaint was filed by lawyer Erez Reuveni, who was fired in April after he admitted to a judge that the Trump administration had mistakenly transferred Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador’s mega-prison due to an “administrative error.” Reuveni filed the complaint ahead of Senate confirmation hearings Wednesday for Bove to serve as a judge on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. This is Bove under questioning from California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff.

Sen. Adam Schiff: “Did you suggest, as Mr. [Erez] Reuveni wrote, that DOJ would need to consider telling the courts 'fuck you' and ignore any such court order?”

Emil Bove: “I did not suggest that there would be any need to consider ignoring court orders. At the point of that meeting, there were no court orders to discuss.”

Sen. Adam Schiff: “Well, did you suggest telling the courts 'fuck you' in any manner?”

Emil Bove: “I don’t recall.”

Sen. Adam Schiff: “You just don’t remember that.”