Top Justice Department officials under President Donald Trump are rallying to the defense of Emil Bove, a senior DOJ political appointee and former attorney on the president’s criminal defense team, after Bove’s name was reportedly floated for nomination to a lifetime role on a federal appeals court.

Bove, who worked alongside Todd Blanche in defending Trump during two federal indictments and a pair of state-level criminal cases in the run-up to the 2024 election, is reportedly being vetted to sit in one of two vacant spots on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, according to multiple media reports. The former prosecutor was tapped by Trump earlier this year to lead the president’s takeover of the DOJ ahead of Attorney General Pam Bondi‘s confirmation in April.