'Falsely told the Court he knew nothing': Trump's former Mueller probe lawyer files bar complaint against DOJ attorney for lying to Judge Boasberg about Alien Enemies Act deportations

Joined by a erstwhile White House lawyer progressive successful the Russia probe, a ineligible radical asked the D.C. Bar to analyse and manus down "appropriate discipline" against a DOJ lawyer for a "pattern of misconduct" successful the people of representing the Trump administration connected migration cases.

Law&Crime has reported how, during an exigency proceeding connected a Saturday, Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg verbally ordered the Trump medication to halt Alien Enemies Act (AEA) deportations of 252 Venezuelans alleged to beryllium pack members and to crook immoderate planes successful the aerial around, lone for that bid to beryllium ignored. The latest grounds that the mid-March 2025 contention has not gone distant came Tuesday, with Lawyers Defending American Democracy's (LDAD) morals ailment against Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign.

Starting with his alleged "lack of candor" oregon knowingly mendacious statements of information to a judge, the ailment said that Ensign violated nonrecreational rules erstwhile helium "knowingly made 2 mendacious statements of worldly information to the Court" successful effect to Boasberg's questions astir whether AEA deportations were happening. At the hearing, Ensign said "I don't cognize the reply to that question," erstwhile asked if flights would instrumentality disconnected wrong 48 hours, and that helium did "not person further details [he] tin supply astatine this time."

"Mr. Ensign failed to close these mendacious statements," the ailment said, noting that Boasberg responded by launching a contempt probe that remains connected crystal to the contiguous day. Ensign and fired DOJ lawyer and whistleblower Erez Reuveni were each scheduled to attest nether oath connected whether the authorities willfully violated a tribunal bid and astir who mightiness beryllium criminally liable earlier the D.C. Circuit unopen that down.

Reuveni was placed connected permission and past fired aft astir 15 years astatine the DOJ successful April 2025 aft helium said helium "refused directions from his superiors to record a little misrepresenting" facts astir Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a wrongly deported Salvadoran antheral who maintains the DOJ is vindictively prosecuting him. It was besides Reuveni who acknowledged successful tribunal that Abrego Garcia "should not person been removed" from the country.

Then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, present the acting AG, said Reuveni failed to "follow a directive from [his] superiors; fail[ed] to zealously advocator connected behalf of the United States; and engag[ed] successful behaviour prejudicial to [his] client. But that would not beryllium the past connection from Reuveni.

He alleged that Ensign was determination the day before Boasberg issued the restraining bid the authorities flouted, erstwhile erstwhile Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove had suggested during a gathering that the authorities springiness the courts a "f— you" if the authorities was blocked from carrying retired wide AEA deportations.

Blanche countered that Reuveni was a "disgruntled erstwhile employee" who was utilizing Bove's then-pending information for a judgeship astatine the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to lash retired with "false" claims, and Bove went connected to beryllium confirmed nonetheless. But the occurrence continues to origin problems for Ensign.

"Mr. Ensign's connection that helium did not cognize whether AEA removals would instrumentality spot successful the adjacent 24 oregon 48 hours was false. As noted, helium had been contiguous astatine a gathering the erstwhile time astatine which past Acting Assistant U.S. Attorney General Emil Bove stated that 1 oregon much planes containing individuals taxable to the AEA would beryllium taking disconnected implicit the weekend, 'no substance what,'" the ailment said. "Before the proceeding resumed, Mr. Ensign and Mr. Reuveni received an email from plaintiffs' lawyer citing nationalist reporting of formation accusation and stating that they had crushed to judge that radical were connected planes for imminent deportation."

"Mr. Ensign had a duty, astatine a minimum, to archer the Court that the national authorities intended to region the Venezuelan migrants wrong the adjacent 48 hours and that helium had been informed by plaintiffs' counsel that their deportation was imminent based connected nationalist reporting," the ailment added. "Instead, Mr. Ensign falsely told the Court helium knew thing astir these things and helium failed to close these worldly misstatements of fact."

LDAD seat Scott Harshbarger, a erstwhile Massachusetts lawyer general, said "[e]very lawyer – including authorities lawyers – has a work to archer the information to the courts and uphold the integrity of the justness system."

"This ailment asks the D.C. Bar to analyse superior allegations that spell to the bosom of the regularisation of law," helium added.

Ty Cobb, erstwhile a White House lawyer handling Trump's response to the precocious Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, released a connection of his ain explaining wherefore helium joined LDAD and a fig of different attorneys and erstwhile judges successful signing the morals ailment against Ensign.

"Government attorneys are not exempt from the ethical rules that govern the ineligible assemblage and, due to the fact that of the oath they take, their obligations are adjacent much sacred," Cobb said. "Accountability is indispensable to maintaining nationalist assurance successful the medication of justice."

Law&Crime reached retired to Ensign for remark connected the complaint.