At today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) questioned Emil Bove, nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, and current Deputy AG.
00:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Bovey, I'm looking at your resume. It's Bovey, right?
00:07Bovey, Senator. Bovey, I apologize, sir. No worries. Thank you.
00:11Mr. Bovey, you spent a lot of time at the Justice Department. I look here.
00:16You were a paralegal there for two years in the early 2000s. You served from 2012 to 2021.
00:24How many times have you seen a Justice Department employee act predominantly on the basis of his or her political beliefs as opposed to the law?
00:54Senator, I would say that as a prosecutor in my time at SDNY, I'm not sure that I did see that. It should be and it must be.
01:05Have you seen it other than as a prosecutor?
01:14I believe that I have.
01:19When?
01:19During my representation of President Trump.
01:26What did you see?
01:32I witnessed members of the special counsel's office taking positions about the need to go to trial quickly before the election.
01:44The amount of time that President Trump would be allotted to review discovery and prepare motions that I found, in my experience, to be completely inconsistent with normal practice, which led me to draw inferences of the nature that you're suggesting, Senator.
02:03Senator, you sent a memo directing one of your underlings, I don't mean that in a pejorative sense, but somebody under you in the hierarchy, directing that the prosecution against Mayor Adams be dismissed.
02:26Is that right?
02:28Yes, Senator.
02:29OK, who made that decision to dismiss the charges?
02:36I think that's that's set forth in the memo that I participated in the decision with the authorization of the attorney general of the United States.
02:42OK, so the attorney general of the United States made the call.
02:46She was a part of the decision. Yes, Senator.
02:48Who else was involved?
02:52Beyond what's in the public record on that matter, I'm not able to get into the internal deliberations on that, Senator.
02:57OK, but there were others involved?
02:59Yes.
03:00At the department?
03:03Yes.
03:04Anywhere else?
03:09No.
03:10OK.
03:13You're under oath.
03:16Why did you folks dismiss the charges against Mayor Adams?
03:20For the reasons set forth in the motion that you're referencing, there were two concerns, Senator.
03:28One was based on the weaponization of the criminal justice system, and that concern was substantiated.
03:34What do you mean, weaponization of the political justice system?
03:38Abuse.
03:39I know that, but I mean, can you be more specific?
03:42In this particular case.
03:44Do you think the charges were brought against Mayor Adams for political reasons?
03:48Again, I'm just right now drawing on what we said publicly in the briefs, and I signed those briefs,
03:57because I believe in the arguments that were made.
04:00I believe that irrespective of what happened at the outset of that case,
04:04what the former U.S. attorney did to promote the ongoing prosecution at a time when there was at least an appearance
04:10that he had his own personal political objectives resulted in the weaponization of that particular criminal justice process.
04:17Okay. So you dismissed it because of the weaponization.
04:21Any other reason?
04:23Yes. There was a second independent basis set forth in the motion,
04:27and that was concerns about the effect of the ongoing prosecution on Mayor Adams' ability to govern
04:33and protect the public in New York City, and also to campaign in the ongoing mayoral election.
04:38Do you believe in a higher being?
04:51It's a very personal question, Senator, but I do.
04:55I want you to look me in the eye and swear to your higher being when you answer this question.
05:04Did you make a deal, a political deal, to dismiss the charges?
05:07Against Mayor Adams?
05:11Absolutely not.
05:12Did anybody else that you witnessed make a political deal to dismiss the charges?
05:19Absolutely not.
05:20You swear to your higher being?
05:22I swear to my higher being and on every bone in my body.
