A whistleblower that has alleged that judicial nominee Emil Bove crudely discussed defying court orders has provided Congress with emails and text messages to back his claim.

Erez Reuveni, a former attorney with the Department of Justice, provided visual evidence that Bove proposed ignoring court orders as administration lawyers strategized in March over expected legal challenges to the president’s plan to assert wartime powers to rapidly deport some immigrants.

Bove was nominated by President Donald Trump for a seat on the Philadelphia-based 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. If confirmed, he would hold a lifetime appointment on the bench with jurisdiction over appeals from Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and the Virgin Islands. He has steadfastly maintained that he never advised Reuveni nor any DOJ attorney to violate a court order.

“I am someone who tries to stand up for what I believe is right, I’m not afraid to make difficult decisions – I understand that some of those decisions have generated controversy,” Bove said. “I respect this process, and I’m here today to address some of your questions about those decisions, but I want to be clear about one thing up front: There is a wildly inaccurate caricature of me in the mainstream media. I’m not anybody’s henchman. I’m not an enforcer.”

However, the messages reveal that DOJ lawyers were increasingly alarmed that the administration had already defied court order and that possible sanctions could be forthcoming.

“These episodes can only lead to one conclusion: Emil Bove belongs nowhere near the federal bench,” said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). “This vote will be a litmus test for Senate Judiciary Republicans. This is about more than a random f-bomb. This is a declaration of defiance of our courts at the highest level of our government by a man who now seeks a lifetime appointment to one of the highest courts in our land.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote July 17 on the nominations for Bove and Jeanine Pirro — the former Fox News host who Trump tapped to be U.S. attorney for D.C. — according to a committee aide granted anonymity to share not-yet-public schedule information.

It is unlikely that Bove’s nomination will be rejected by the committee, now that Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is hinting that he will go along with the staff recommendation of “yes.”

“Emil Bove has consistently put politics above the law and senators should rigorously vet Emil Bove’s record as they consider him for a lifetime appointment as a federal judge,” said Philip Hensley-Robin, Pennsylvania Executive Director of Common Cause.

“Bove put politics first when he dropped corruption charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams once he fell in line with the Trump administration’s immigrant detention policies that have violated due process. Bove put politics first when he fired his fellow prosecutors who said dropping the charges would violate their oaths to impartially administer justice. Bove put politics first and the constitution last when, per a whistleblower complaint, he told fellow prosecutors to ignore court orders that aren’t to this administration’s political liking. These are the most overt acts of political corruption from a Department of Justice official that we have seen in generations. Emil Bove won’t put the constitution or the law first, he will serve his political masters, which is why he was nominated to be a judge in the first place.”