Senate panel approves nominations for Bove, Pirro as Democrats walk out

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved the nominations of former Trump attorney Emil Bove to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and Jeanine Pirro to the U.S. attorney's office for Washington, D.C., as Democrats walked out.

Bove, who is the U.S. principal associate deputy attorney general, was approved by the committee for the judgeship nomination amid 900 former and current Department of Justice lawyers urging lawmakers to reject the nomination, The Hill news outlet reported.

Among the concerns is a DOJ whistleblower allegation that Bove urged agency lawyers to defy a court order regarding the Trump administration's controversial decision in March to deport El Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia. 

A nominee getting a favorable, or majority, vote in a committee historically means they will be confirmed to the post for which they were nominated in a full Senate vote. 

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and the rest of his Democratic colleagues walked out after Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley cut off requests for continued debate and didn't let all Democrats speak on the Bove nomination.

“You are a good man,” Booker said to Grassley. “You are a decent man, why are you doing this? What is Donald Trump saying to you that are making you do something which is violating the decorum of this committee, the rules of this committee, the decency and the respect that we have each other to at least hear each other out?”

“This is unjust. This is wrong. It is the further deterioration of this committee’s integrity with a person like this. What are you afraid of?”

Pirro, a former county judge and Fox News host, was confirmed by the committee as the nominee for U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C.