Former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates was fired by President Trump in January after she refused to enforce his travel ban. Yates ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers to not defend the executive action.
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Yates appeared once again in the face of the Trump administration when she testified at a Monday hearing designed to explore any collusion between the Trump administration and Russia.
Read ex-AG Sally Yates’ full opening statement https://t.co/s30iA3SF4L pic.twitter.com/jfTdLnK6JB
— CNN (@CNN) May 8, 2017
Much emphasis was placed on former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who resigned after only a few weeks with the administration when he misled the White House about his communication with Russia’s American ambassador.
Yates said that she attempted to warn the White House of Flynn’s interactions:
Yates says she told WH that Flynn wasn't being truthful about his conduct & could be at risk of blackmail by Russia https://t.co/DrzbYX1ehR
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) May 8, 2017
Her conclusions about Flynn mirror those held by former President Obama, who had previously fired him from his administration. According to reports, Obama tried to warn Trump against adding Flynn to the administration. Trump ignored the advice.
Sally Yates: "To state the obvious, you don't want your national security adviser compromised with the Russians." https://t.co/VO91R4PRlb pic.twitter.com/BzKS6vfwjx
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) May 8, 2017
Yates’ full statements at the hearing can be viewed via C-SPAN.