President Donald Trump dismissed acting Attorney General Sally Yates on Monday night, after she ordered government lawyers not to defend his executive order on refugees.
In a brazen act of defiance that cost her the post, Yates said she could not enforce a policy that is not \u201cwise or just.\u201d Yates is an Obama-appointee who was serving as acting AG pending the confirmation of Sen. Jeff Sessions.
\u201cThe acting Attorney General, Sally Yates, has betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States,\u201d White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer\u2019s office said in a statement. \u201cThis order was approved as to form and legality by the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel.\u201d
\u201cIt is time to get serious about protecting our country. Calling for tougher vetting for individuals traveling from seven dangerous places is not extreme. It is reasonable and necessary to protect our country,\u201d the statement added.
The president has designated Dana Boente, U. S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, to serve as acting AG in the interim.
\u201cI am honored to serve President Trump in this role until Senator Sessions is confirmed,\u201d Boente said in the statement. \u201cI will defend and enforce the laws of our country to ensure that our people and our nation are protected.\u201d
The Federal Vacancies Act authorizes president to replace one Senate-confirmed officer with another, as professor Josh Blackman of South Texas College of Law explains on his blog. Boente was confirmed as U. S. attorney by the Senate in 2015.
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