Justice Department places attorney who struggled to explain Maryland man's deportation on leave
A Justice Department attorney who struggled in court Friday to explain the Trump administration's deportation of a Maryland man to El Salvador has been placed on administrative leave, a department official said.
A Justice Department attorney who struggled in court Friday to explain the Trump administration's deportation of a Maryland man to El Salvador has been placed on administrative leave, a department official said.
At the hearing, the government attorney, Erez Reuveni, expressed frustration over not having the information the judge was seeking in the case of the deported man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and made it clear he wasn’t getting much help from his superiors.
Abrego Garcia “should not have been removed,” he said, adding that he didn't know why Abrego Garcia was ever arrested. “I am also frustrated that I also have no answers for you on a lot of these questions,” he said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that Reuveni had been placed on leave. “At my direction, every Department of Justice attorney is required to zealously advocate on behalf of the United States,” she said. “Any attorney who fails to abide by this direction will face consequences.”
Reuveni didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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