According to reports, due to acting Attorney General Sally Yates’ inability to enforce Donal Trump’s unconstitutional Muslim ban, she was notified of her dismissal by a hand-delivered letter, and not via phone call from the president.
Monday night, (Jan. 30) The White House released a statement saying “(Yates) has betrayed the Department of Justice in refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States.” The statement goes on to call Yates “weak on borders and very weak on illegal immigration.” Shortly after Yates termination, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Dana Boente was sworn in. Boente quickly released a statement instructing lawyers for the DOJ to “defend the lawful orders of our president.”
Yates’ dismissal should come as no surprise as she was appointed by President Obama, and would serve until Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump’s pick for attorney general, was appointed if confirmed. Despite the drastic move by the White House, Yates stood by her decision.
“My responsibility is to ensure that the position of the Department of Justice is not only legally defensible, but is informed by our best view of what the law is after consideration of all the facts,” she said in a letter. “In addition, I am responsible for ensuring that the positions we take in court remain consistent with this institution’s solemn obligation to always seek justice and stand for what is right.”
Last weekend, Trump signed an executive order barring citizens from seven Muslim countries–Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, Iran and Syria–from entering the country for 90 days, and suspended all refugees ability to enter for 120 days. Yates’ refusal to go along with Trump’s ban comes after protests erupted across the country at several international airports and four federal judges also ruled against Trump.
In true fashion, Trump took to Twitter to point fingers at the Democrats and Obama for stalling his pick for attorney general.
The Democrats are delaying my cabinet picks for purely political reasons. They have nothing going but to obstruct. Now have an Obama A.G.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2017
And to think, we’re only 11 days in…