Top Justice Official Refuses to Defend Trump Immigration Order
- Trump can fire Sally Yates, but his nominee isn’t confirmed
- Obama entered debate by issuing statement supporting protests
Trump Defends Travel Ban, Focuses on Regulations
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Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates, an Obama administration holdover, ordered the Justice Department Monday not to defend President Donald Trump’s directive banning entry to the U.S. by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries, questioning its legality.
The highly unusual declaration by Yates was the latest twist in a controversy that has sparked protests at airports across the country and spurred many congressional Republicans to break from the White House. Her statement lent the authority of her office to legal challenges under way against Trump’s order across the country.