Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) built a reputation over his career in the Senate for urging government whistleblowers to come forward and reveal corruption and misconduct to Congress. But now he has done precisely the opposite with President Donald Trump’s nomination of his former personal lawyer and DOJ loyalist Emil Bove for an appellate court position, attacking and threatening multiple whistleblowers who have come forward.
According to The New York Times, Grassley’s behavior has had a “chilling” effect on sunlight in government, with other prospective whistleblowers fearing reprisal.
All of this comes as the Trump administration carries out mass purges of the civil service and of any officials across the government perceived to be disloyal to him — an environment where whistleblowers could be more necessary than ever.
“Last month, a day before Mr. Bove testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee over his nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, a former lawyer for the Justice Department, Erez Reuveni, filed a detailed complaint describing Mr. Bove as a crucial player in pressuring department lawyers to mislead judges and ignore court orders in the administration’s frantic bid to send Venezuelan migrants to a high-security prison in El Salvador,” said the report.
Grassley, however, did not take any of this seriously, attacking Reuveni’s testimony as a “coordinated political strike” in a Judiciary Committee hearing.
“Since Friday, two more whistle-blowers have come forward. One offered evidence suggesting that Mr. Bove knowingly misled lawmakers during his confirmation hearing, while another signaled they had provided information months ago to the Justice Department inspector general confirming some of Mr. Reuveni’s allegations against Mr. Bove, according to lawmakers and advocates,” said the report.
Nonetheless, “Mr. Grassley’s treatment of whistle-blowers like Mr. Reuveni is discouraging others from talking to Congress, lawyers and others representing government workers fired or demoted by the Trump administration say.”
“Now more than ever, whistle-blowers need a champion among congressional Republicans who will listen in good faith to their claims of government abuse and work in a bipartisan fashion to hold culpable officials accountable,” said former DOJ lawyer David Laufman, who in private practice represents government workers. “For many years, Senator Grassley was that champion. But under the current administration, he has shied away from doing what’s right.”
Bove’s nomination to the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit was confirmed by a narrow margin on Tuesday evening, with only Republican votes.