Loyalty Over Competence At Trump's Justice Department

What A Day

Crooked Media

News, Daily News

4.6 • 12K Ratings

🗓️ 31 July 2025

⏱️ 23 minutes

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Summary

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Emil Bove as a federal appeals court judge, a lifetime appointment to a perch one rung below the U.S. Supreme Court. Bove, who served as President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, ascended to the top ranks of the Justice Department when Trump returned to office in January. Ahead of his Senate confirmation, he became the subject of multiple whistleblower complaints, with some alleging Bove told DOJ subordinates they may need to ignore court orders to enact Trump’s agenda (Bove denies the allegations). Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe joins us to talk about what Bove’s confirmation signals to the rank and file at the DOJ. He also weighs in on what’s happening at his former agency right now and — maybe more importantly — what’s not happening. And in headlines: President Donald Trump announced a new 25 percent tariff on India ahead of his Aug. 1 deals deadline, former Vice President President Kamala Harris announced she won’t run for governor of California next year, and the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged for a fifth time this year.

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's Thursday, July 31st. I'm Jane Koston, and this is What Today, the show shouting out Pope Leo the 14th, who received a very special gift at his papal audience on Wednesday, a pizza from Aurelios in Chicago.
0:14.4	Hopefully, it was not a deep dish pizza, as deep dish pizza is a cardinal sin.
0:25.0	Thank you. deep dish pizza is a cardinal sin. On today's show, Republicans in the Texas House unveil a redistricting plan to please their
0:30.1	MAGA overlord.
0:31.4	And former Vice President Kamala Harris hints at her plans for 2026, and they don't involve
0:36.9	running for governor of California.
0:38.8	But let's start with the FBI and the Department of Justice.
0:42.0	On Tuesday, the Senate confirmed Emil Bovi to a lifetime position on the Third U.S. Circuit Court
0:47.4	of Appeals.
0:48.2	Does he have a lengthy judicial history?
0:50.4	No.
0:51.1	But he was President Donald Trump's personal attorney.
0:54.2	More recently, during his time of the Justice Department after Trump returned to office,
0:58.2	Bovi fired attorneys involved in the investigation into January 6th.
1:02.0	He forced prosecutors in New York to stop pursuing Mayor Eric Adams for corruption charges, an effort.
1:07.1	So bonkers, ten department lawyers resigned.
1:10.6	Whistleblowers, three of them, spoke out
1:12.9	against Bovi ahead of his confirmation vote. Some claimed he told subordinates in the Justice Department
1:17.5	they may need to ignore court orders. And when asked by Vermont Democratic Senator Peter Welch,
1:22.6	a pretty normal question during his June confirmation hearing, Bovi answered like this.
1:27.8	Who won the 2020 election for President of the United States?
1:32.1	President Biden was certified as the winner of that election.
	...

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