President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated Emil Bove — one of his closest and most combative legal allies — to a federal appeals court, a decision that has sparked backlash due to Bove’s controversial actions and close ties to Trump. Previously, Bove served as one of Trump’s lead criminal defense attorneys. Over the past four months, in his role as a senior Justice Department official, he has carried out Trump’s directives for strict immigration enforcement. “Emil is SMART, TOUGH, and respected by everyone,” Trump wrote on his social platform Truth Social as he announced his nomination. READ MORE: Everyone is afraid to tell him': Trump brutally mocked following 'meltdown' with reporter “He will end the Weaponization of Justice, restore the Rule of Law, and do anything else that is necessary to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.” “Emil Bove will never let you down!” the president added. Democratic lawmakers strongly reacted to the move, accusing Bove of abusing his position. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) wrote a series of posts on the social platform X denouncing Trump's decision. "As a senior Justice Department official, Mr. Bove has abused his position in numerous ways — such that I led all Senate Judiciary Democrats in filing a professional misconduct complaint against him with the New York State Bar," Durbin said. READ MORE: Deep-red Trump-loving Missouri town 'tested' as a 'beloved local' is detained "Mr. Bove’s alleged misconduct not only speaks to his fitness as a lawyer, but his activities are part of a broader pattern by President Trump and his allies to undermine the traditional independence of the Justice Department and the rule of law," he added. The Illinois Democrat continued: "The silver lining of today’s news is that the Committee will now have the chance to question Mr. Bove, under oath, about his alleged professional misconduct and more." Sens. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) also condemned the move and issued a joint statement against Bove's nomination. “Emil Bove’s nomination to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals is deeply troubling. It is vital that the federal judiciary in New Jersey be committed to upholding the ideals of independence and objectivity. On this measure, Emil Bove has fallen short, repeatedly engaging in conduct as a top advisor in Trump’s administration that undermines his credibility as an objective jurist, including purging career prosecutors and attacking those who worked on January 6th investigations, firing FBI officials who were not adequately loyal to President Trump, and directing the dismissal of the federal government’s case against Mayor Eric Adams to advance the President’s mass deportation agenda," the New Jersey Democrats wrote. READ MORE: 'This could be gigantic': Internet erupts as court 'slaps Trump around' in tariff ruling "Judges must be committed to upholding the rule of law, due process, and fairness. Emil Bove’s actions have compromised our faith that he can be this," the statement added. The senators continued: “Traditionally, selecting circuit court nominees is a collaborative process between the Senate and the White House. In this case, that tradition was cast aside. We had hoped to find a pick that would inspire broad-based confidence and support, but this is a deeply polarizing choice." Legal commentators also took to X to voice their concerns about Bove's nomination. Lawyer Ed Whelan wrote on X: "Trump's assurance that Emil Bove as a judge would do 'anything else that is necessary to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN' presents an odd and highly politicized understanding of the judicial role." READ MORE: 'It's obligatory': Former federal judge says John Roberts should be 'condemning' Trump Stanford Law School professor Orin Kerr said: "Trump on nominating Emil Bove to a seat on the Third Circuit: Bove will 'do anything . . . that is necessary to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. Emil Bove will never let you down!' When the law says that you're wrong, the role of a judge should be to let you down."

One of my purposes is to give you the truth about an important issue that Trump and his lapdogs in Congress are demagoguing — so you can spread the truth. Right now, the Senate is taking up Trump’s “Big Beautiful budget bill” (really a Big Bad Ugly Bill) that just emerged from the House. If enacted, it would be the largest redistribution of income in the nation’s history — from the poor and working class to the rich and super-rich. How? The tax cut mainly benefits the wealthy. A major source of funding is at least $715 billion of cuts in health care spending, mostly from Medicaid. It also contains a poison pill that would remove the power of federal courts to hold officials in contempt of court — fining or imprisoning them if they fail to follow court orders. As the court push back against Trump, this is a critical power. The bill cuts Medicaid spending by requiring Medicaid recipients to work. Republicans are spreading lies about this work requirement. Here are the facts you need to know — and share: 1. 64 percent of adult Medicaid recipients already work. Many recipients work in jobs that don’t typically offer health insurance and pay little — which makes Medicaid vital. These people aren’t freeloaders mooching off the system, as Republicans claim. They’re barely scraping by. 2. Adults on Medicaid who aren’t working have good reasons not to. — 12% are primary caregivers. — 10% have an illness or disability. — 7 % are attending school. 3. So, 93 percent of all Medicaid recipients are either already working or have good reason not to. The entire work requirement would affect 7 percent at most. In reality, a work requirement would cause many more who are now eligible for Medicaid to lose their Medicaid coverage. The current estimate is at least 8.6 million people. 4. The work requirement kicks eligible people off Medicaid because of its burdensome and confusing reporting requirements. It’s not really meant to put people to work. It’s a shady way of kicking people off Medicaid to fund tax cuts mainly for the wealthy. In Arkansas, which tried a work requirement for Medicaid, more than 18,000 people who were eligible lost their coverage when the work requirement was put in place, mainly because of the paperwork reporting hoops they had to jump through. 5. When Arkansas enacted work requirements, there was no significant change in employment rates. Because, again, Medicaid recipients already have high rates of employment to begin with. 6. If Republicans really want to put people to work, they’d make it easier to get Medicaid — not harder. After Ohio expanded Medicaid, enrollees had an easier time finding and holding down a job. Access to healthcare means people can manage chronic conditions, afford medication, or receive mental health treatment — all of which help people keep their jobs. Republicans are spouting lies about a work requirement for Medicaid because they’re really trying to push eligible people off it — to help finance their big tax cut mainly for the rich. Remember: Senate Republicans can afford to lose only three Republican votes. Otherwise, the Big Bad Ugly Bill is dead. Please share these facts, and make sure the bill dies. NOW READ: Cornered Trump is escalating to more drastic measures as he feels the heatRobert Reich is a professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/