This week, Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee will once again be asked to draw the line between what is permissible and impermissible for a Trump nominee, when they decide whether Emil Boves nomination to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals should receive a full Senate vote.Confirming Bove would mean redrawing that line to ignore serious concerns about his truthfulness under oath. I was in the room when he made statements that my colleagues and I understood as threatsmeant to pressure us into signing a motion to dismiss the federal criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Mr. Bove has since denied making any such statements in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, but those denials do not reflect what actually took place.In February of this year, then-Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered prosecutors in my former office, the Public Integrity Section, to dismiss the bribery case against Mayor Adams. Bove openly admitted in a memorandum that the dismissal was unrelated to the facts and the law.This led to the resignation offive Public Integrity Section prosecutors, including me, to go along with prosecutors from the U.S. Attorneys Office in New York, who also refused the order and resigned.The Public Integrity Section has since beenreduced to less than five prosecutors, meaning the only component of the Justice Departments Criminal Division dedicated to prosecuting domestic public corruption exists almost entirely in name only today.TOP DOJ OFFICIAL FACES TEST IN SENATE OVER NOMINATION TO BECOME FEDERAL JUDGEIn his written responses to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Bove flatlydeniedthat he ever so much as suggested a threat to me and my colleagues, explaining that during the meeting with our section, "[i]t was never my intention to coerce, pressure, or induce an DOJ attorney through adverse employment actions, threats, rewards, or otherwise to sign the motion to dismiss the charges against Mayor Adams." But by the time of that meeting, itsundisputedthat he had already accepted the forced resignation of the U.S. Attorney in New York, put line prosecutors from that office on administrative leave for not signing the motion, and forced the entirety of the Public Integrity Sections management to resign when it refused to carry out his order. And how does his denial square with hisadmissionthat he generally recalls "[telling us] he didnt want to get anyone in trouble ... so he didnt want to know who was opposed to signing the motion"?Boves nomination would mark a troubling precedent: confirming a nominee who, in my view, gave testimony that was so obviously misleading to the committee and the American public. Thats what makes this so profoundly disturbing. Previous contested judicial confirmation hearings have involved accusations where one nominations credibility was pitted against that of an accuser, or judicial credentials were questioned. But never before has a nominee testifiedin such a demonstrably brazenmannerwith a wink and nod to the Republican committee members.TRUMP NOMINATES FORMER DEFENSE ATTORNEY EMIL BOVE FOR FEDERAL APPEALS COURT VACANCYThere is only one realistic hopeto prevent Boves nomination from moving forwardto a full floor vote, and it rests on the shoulders of Sen. Thom Tillis. TheNorth Carolina Republican, a staunch conservative, has previously demonstrated political courage by speaking for his principles, not his party, on many issues. He believes in "calling the balls and strikes."Sen. Tillispreventedthe confirmation of Edward Martin, the woefully unqualified nominee for U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia, who used his office to pen threatening,typo-ridden letters to Democratic members of Congress, defense attorneys, and Georgetown University. Bove poses a far graver threat, in that his would be a lifetime tenure to a judicial branch he believes should not be a check on the presidents power.CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONMoreover, Trumps latesttusslewith Leonard Leo and the Federalist Society further reveals thathe is no longerlooking for juristswho are conservatives, but rather, loyalists. So,who would be betterto elevate from a federal circuit court to theSupreme Court if Justices Thomas or Alito decided to retire before 2028 than Bove?On the Sunday nightbeforeI sent my resignation letter to Attorney General Bondi (Bove was cc-ed) on Monday, I was clearing out my belongings from my office when I noticed that someone had prominently placed a plaque on our reception desk. It quoted Abraham Lincoln: "If you want to test a mans character, give him power."Bove served as line prosecutor earlier in his career he knows the prosecutors code.But, in my experience, it appears thatonce he had a whiff of power,Bovewas willing to abuse it. With his smug testimony, Bove has essentially called the Republicans'bluff, believing that Sen. Tillis and the others wont have the courage to voteagainst him.Citizens of all political persuasions should hope that Sen. Tillis shows the courage and character that Bove lacks by voting no on his confirmation.