A legal advocacy group, joined by a former White House lawyer involved in the Russia investigation, has called on the D.C. Bar to investigate a Department of Justice attorney for alleged misconduct while representing the Trump administration in immigration cases. This group, known as Lawyers Defending American Democracy (LDAD), is seeking appropriate disciplinary action against Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign for what they claim is a “pattern of misconduct.”

The controversy revolves around an incident in mid-March 2025, when Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg verbally ordered the Trump administration to stop deportations under the Alien Enemies Act involving 252 Venezuelans accused of being gang members. Despite the order, the administration allegedly ignored it, prompting further scrutiny. This ongoing issue resurfaced recently as LDAD filed an ethics complaint against Ensign, further reported by Law&Crime.

In the complaint, Ensign is accused of making false statements to the court during an emergency hearing. He reportedly told Judge Boasberg that he was unaware of whether any deportation flights would take off within 48 hours, claiming a lack of details to offer at that time. The complaint highlights that Ensign did not correct these statements, which led Judge Boasberg to initiate a contempt investigation that remains unresolved.

The situation has become more complex, as Ensign and former DOJ attorney Erez Reuveni were set to testify about the government’s compliance with the court order before the D.C. Circuit intervened. Reuveni, a whistleblower, had been placed on leave and later dismissed from the DOJ in April 2025 after nearly 15 years of service. He claimed he was fired for refusing to submit a brief that misrepresented facts regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national mistakenly deported, who argues the DOJ is unfairly prosecuting him. Reuveni admitted in court that Abrego Garcia “should not have been removed” from the U.S.

Then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is now the acting Attorney General, criticized Reuveni for allegedly not complying with directives, failing to advocate zealously for the U.S., and engaging in conduct damaging to his client. Despite these allegations, Reuveni’s voice has remained part of the ongoing dialogue surrounding these contentious immigration cases.

Then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, now the acting AG, said Reuveni failed to “follow a directive from [his] superiors; fail[ed] to zealously advocate on behalf of the United States; and engag[ed] in conduct prejudicial to [his] client. But that would not be the last word from Reuveni.

He alleged that Ensign was there the day before Boasberg issued the restraining order the government flouted, when former Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove had suggested during a meeting that the government give the courts a “f— you” if the government was blocked from carrying out mass AEA deportations.

Blanche countered that Reuveni was a “disgruntled former employee” who was using Bove’s then-pending nomination for a judgeship at the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to lash out with “false” claims, and Bove went on to be confirmed nonetheless. But the episode continues to cause problems for Ensign.

“Mr. Ensign’s statement that he did not know whether AEA removals would take place in the next 24 or 48 hours was false. As noted, he had been present at a meeting the previous day at which then Acting Assistant U.S. Attorney General Emil Bove stated that one or more planes containing individuals subject to the AEA would be taking off over the weekend, ‘no matter what,’” the complaint said. “Before the hearing resumed, Mr. Ensign and Mr. Reuveni received an email from plaintiffs’ attorney citing public reporting of flight information and stating that they had reason to believe that people were on planes for imminent deportation.”

“Mr. Ensign had a duty, at a minimum, to tell the Court that the federal government intended to remove the Venezuelan migrants within the next 48 hours and that he had been informed by plaintiffs’ counsel that their deportation was imminent based on public reporting,” the complaint added. “Instead, Mr. Ensign falsely told the Court he knew nothing about these things and he failed to correct these material misstatements of fact.”

LDAD chair Scott Harshbarger, a former Massachusetts attorney general, said “[e]very lawyer – including government lawyers – has a duty to tell the truth to the courts and uphold the integrity of the justice system.”

“This complaint asks the D.C. Bar to investigate serious allegations that go to the heart of the rule of law,” he added.

Ty Cobb, once a White House lawyer handling Trump’s response to the late Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, released a statement of his own explaining why he joined LDAD and a number of other attorneys and former judges in signing the ethics complaint against Ensign.

Ty Cobb, former White House special counsel during the first Trump administration, sits for an interview in 2025 (PBS/YouTube).

“Government attorneys are not exempt from the ethical rules that govern the legal profession and, because of the oath they take, their obligations are even more sacred,” Cobb said. “Accountability is essential to maintaining public confidence in the administration of justice.”

Law&Crime reached out to Ensign for comment on the complaint.