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Rep. Waters: Bravo, Sally Yates!

February 1, 2017

Washington D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters issued the following statement regarding the dismissal of Acting Attorney General Sally Yates:

"I am utterly appalled by the manner in which the Trump Administration fired Acting Attorney General Sally Yates. Not only did the President fire Sally Yates for her refusal to enforce a poorly conceived and likely unconstitutional executive order, but upon removal, he had the audacity to describe her actions as a "betrayal." If unquestioned loyalty to President Trump supersedes adherence to the Constitution and the rule of law, then we should all be deeply concerned about the Justice Department Donald Trump is shaping. Ironically, it was the President's own Attorney General Nominee, Sen. Jeff Sessions, who strongly questioned Yates at her confirmation hearing about her willingness to be an independent decision maker, remaining legally objective, even if it meant disagreeing with the President. Our democracy demands leadership that truly makes our citizens safer, not leadership that spreads chaos and uncertainty haphazardly as President Trump has done over the course of the last eleven days.

Sally Yates served her country with distinction, exhibiting a profound reverence for the Justice Department. The President would do well to have more dedicated, seasoned, and professional public servants advising his policies rather than a small circle of political figures whose principle objective is to appease his very small base of support."