A D.O.J. Whistleblower Speaks Out - The Daily NYT

[In It to Win It]

Warning: This episode contains strong language.


An explosive whistle-blower report claims that the Justice Department is asking government lawyers to lie to the courts, and that this has forced career officials to chose between upholding the Constitution and pledging loyalty to the president.


Rachel Abrams speaks to the whistle-blower about his career in the Justice Department and his complaint saying he was fired for telling the truth.


Guest: Erez Reuveni, who filed a whistle-blower complaint against the Department of Justice.


Background reading:

• Mr. Reuveni has warned of an assault on the law by the Trump administration (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/us...) .
• At the Justice Department, Emil Bove III suggested violating court orders, according to the complaint (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/24/us...) .

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-t...) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.


Photo: Kent Nishimura for The New York Times

[Ocelot II]

1. Got a summary or a transcript?

[In It to Win It]

2. NYT usually post the transcripts with the episode but I'm not seeing them so they may not be available yet

I'll continue to check and I will post here when they're available.

[Passages]

3. Thank you.

[In It to Win It]

5. Here's the transcript

I uploaded it here for convenience: https://blue-linnea-52.tiiny.site/

You can also view the transcript on NYT, the button in the middle just below title and description: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/podcasts/the-daily/a-doj-whistleblower-speaks-out.html

[Passages]

7. I appreciate the time you put in to present this important information.

This is a huge scandal, and it should be a strong focus by Dems.

snip*
And then this is the thing that sets the tone for the next three weeks. Bove says, and if some court were to issue some order that prevents that from happening, we would have to consider telling that court, quote, fuck you.

rachel abrams
What were you thinking in that moment when he said that?

erez reuveni
I felt like a grenade had gone off. Is he serious? It wasn’t clear to me if it was just acting or bravado, chest thumping. It was crazy. And after a very long pause, my immediate supervisor says, well, if we get an order, we would advise our clients to follow the order. And after that, we were ushered out of the conference room very quickly. The meeting ended shortly after that.

[In It to Win It]

4. Here's the transcript

I uploaded it here for convenience: https://blue-linnea-52.tiiny.site/

You can also view the transcript on NYT, the button in the middle just below title and description: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/podcasts/the-daily/a-doj-whistleblower-speaks-out.html

[Ocelot II]

6. Thanks!