Trump fires acting U.S. attorney general for "betrayal" when she refuses to enforce Muslim ban

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates Monday night for "refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States," the White House said.

"(Yates) has betrayed the Department of Justice," the White House statement said.

Dana Boente, US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, the White House said, and was sworn in at 9 p.m. ET, per an administration official.

Trump didn't call Yates to dismiss her, she was informed by hand-delivered letter, according to a different administration official.

The dramatic move came soon after CNN reported Yates told Justice Department lawyers not to make legal arguments defending Trump's executive order on immigration and refugees.

Ms Yates issued a letter to her staff earlier on Monday.

“For as long as I am the acting attorney general, the Department of Justice will not present arguments in defense of the executive order, unless and until I become convinced that it is appropriate to do so,” she wrote.


The public break-up between the White House and a top Justice Department official has only occurred on a handful of occasions. The most well-known former split took place in 1973 when President Richard Nixon fired AG Elliot Richardson over his refusal to effectively investigate the Watergate scandal.

Ms Yates’ sacking comes less that a week after Mr Trump banned immigration from seven majority-Muslim nations including Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen. The Executive Order will remain in place for 90 days.

It was followed almost immediately by the dismissal of Acting Director or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Daniel Ragsdale. He will be replaces by Thomas Homan.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer challenged those opposed to the measure to resign.

He said if “career bureaucrats have a problem with it ... they should get with the program or they can go”.

“If somebody has a problem with that agenda,” he added, “that does call into question whether or not they should continue in that post.”

http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/donald-trump-dumps-attorney-general-sally-yates-citing-betrayal/news-story/3bcf16a570c7fa9570dedddd3b2ec00e

Original Quill wrote:It's inevitable.  But we thought the crumbling would take place during the election.  His rejection is coming a bit late.

But that's why I say it should be a good show.  Lots of political precedent to be made in the ensuing months, if not weeks, to get the guy out of office and his work undone.

But the Republicans are being disassembled, surely and certainly.  They have got to own him, and...OUCH!

Ben Reilly wrote:

Original Quill wrote:It's inevitable.  But we thought the crumbling would take place during the election.  His rejection is coming a bit late.

But that's why I say it should be a good show.  Lots of political precedent to be made in the ensuing months, if not weeks, to get the guy out of office and his work undone.

But the Republicans are being disassembled, surely and certainly.  They have got to own him, and...OUCH!

Do you think there could be a new raft of legislation to enforce things that used to be done out of decency?

* Required disclosure of tax returns

* Strict enforcement of the "only one president at one time" tradition

* Required divestment of business interests

Etc?