Although it was only a few hours ago that acting Attorney General Sally Yates penned a letter to the Justice Department ordering them not to oppose the immigration ban, Donald Trump has already fired her.
.@POTUS has named Dana Boente, US Attorney for the Eastern District of VA as Acting Attorney General. Sally Yates has been relieved.
— Sean Spicer (@PressSec) January 31, 2017
According to the New York Times, Yates was “relieved” after she “defiantly refused to defend his immigration executive order, accusing the Democratic holdover of trying to obstruct his agenda for political reasons.” In a statement written on his facebook page, Trump writes that “the 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. This order was approved as to form and legality by the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel” and that “Dana Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, [will] serve as Acting Attorney General until Senator Jeff Sessions is finally confirmed by the Senate.”
The vote is due to take place tomorrow.