In October, 1973, Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox had done something Republican [p]Residents can’t stand. He was doing his job. He had just subpoenaed the soon to become infamous Watergate Tapes that contained more than enough criminal evidence to end the career of crooked Richard "I am not a crook" Nixon. Nixon ordered AG Elliot Richardson to fire Cox, Richardson refused, Nixon persisted, and Richardson resigned. Then Nixon order Deputy AG William Ruckelshaus to fire Cox. Ruckelshaus refused, Nixon persisted, and Ruckelshaus resigned. That made Solicitor General Robert Bork Acting AG. Bork fired Cox. This is known as the Saturday night Massacre. Now that we have a Republican in the White House that makes Nixon seem like a choir boy by comparison, it took him only ten days to fire an acting AG for doing her job.
Donald Trump has fired the acting US attorney general after she told justice department lawyers not to defend his executive order banning entry for people from seven Muslim-majority countries.
The White House said on Monday that Sally Yates had “betrayed” the department by refusing to enforce a legal order that was “designed to protect the citizens of the United States”.
Trump drafted in Dana Boente, US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia, to replace Yates as acting attorney general. The president’s official appointee, anti-immigration hardliner Senator Jeff Sessions, is yet to be confirmed by the Senate.
As the country’s top law enforcement official, Yates, who was appointed by Barack Obama, had control over the justice department’s immigration litigation office, which has handled the federal complaints filed against Trump’s order since his bombshell policy was announced on Friday.
“I am responsible for ensuring that the positions we take in court remain consistent with this institution’s solemn obligation to always seek justice and stand for what is right,” Yates wrote in a letter to justice department lawyers. “At present I am not convinced that the defense of the executive order is consistent with these responsibilities nor am I convinced that the executive order is lawful.”… [emphasis added]
From <The Guardian>
Lawrence O’Donnell discussed the incident in detail in two segment of The Last Word.
Kudos also to the other judges, who stood up for the Constitution.
Especially after this, it becomes even more important for Democrats to do everything humanly possible to impede the confirmation of Beauregard Sessions (R-KKK) for AG. There is no doubt that he will goose step in lock step with whatever the Fuhrer wants. as long as it direct hatred towards minorities, LGBT, women or Muslims. Ironically, Beauregard questioned Sally Yates at her confirmation hearing in 2015.
What a hypocrite!!
11 Responses to “The Monday Night Massacre”
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I particularly appreciated what Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) stated at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing:
https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/senator-leahys-statement-in-opposition-to-the-sessions-nomination-for-attorney-general-at-the-judiciary-committee-voting-session
… AND small nit to pick: It's Beauregard Sessions THE THIRD (Jefferson Beauregard "Jeff" Sessions III)
More on the current Monday Night Massacre issue:
Former Watergate Prosecutor: We Need Officials Who Will Stand Up to Trump
VIDEO: (CC)
https://www.democracynow.org/shows/2017/1/31?autostart=117.0
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Trump saying she "betrayed" him is a pretty clear example of projection, isn't it.
Brainwrap, a Daily Kos user (or "Kossack") has included a transcript in his post of this exchange between Sessions and Yates. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/01/31/1627861/-WATCH-THIS-TRUST-ME Very revealing.
i wish I could be as confident as Ben-Veniste that Trump is putting himself at risk. I don't see him any more at risk that Hitler was. A double suicide almost ten years down the timeline is not what I would call a clear and present risk. I'd love to be wrong.
I did see somewhere the Nectarine Nazi has sworn in Dana Boente, another Obama appointee, and who knows what he will do.
And, yes, kudos indeed to the other judges who can read and comprehend the Constitution. Would that all our judges did.
And I love the idea of an all-female Mount Rushmore – created somewhere that it would not be an affront to Native Americans by using one of their mountains and sticking our carved faces right in their face.
I.m guessing the Fuhrer got guarantees from Boente first,
He's welcome to change his name to "Dana Bork," just so everyone will know.
Gessh, this is sickening.
Kudos to those women who stood up for human rights!! and upholding our Constitution, and our Bill of Rights!!
This whole debacle is about the rule of law. This imbecile, Drumpfenfarten, sees him self as being above the law, not constrained by the law. Clearly he sees himself as emperor. He is playing his fiddle as the US burns.
Kudos to these judges who followed the rule of law, the constitution, as Drumpfenfarten played his fiddle.
First of all: Kudos to heroes Sally Yates and the four women judges that defied Drumpf and ruled against his despicable decree.
I picked up on two things in this excellent article:
First Rachel Maddow pointed out that it seemed like Drumpf had picked a fight with the whole of the justice department, one which he had no need to pick, and that could have as a consequence that he may soon need to fire everyone that he can fire (i.e. no civil cervants) from top to bottom for defying him. She wondered if it was just a show of force, like Reagan firing air line pilots.
But let's think on this. The amateurisch put together executive order has "Bannon" all over it and Bannon is the man who wants to take down the whole establishment. I have no doubt that Steve Bannon has encouraged Drumpf to pick a fight with the justice department, fire all who oppose him and then replacing them with loyals, starting with Jefferson Beauregard "Jeff" Sessions III or until he's confirmed, with Dana Boente. It doesn't really matter now how long Democrats keep Sessions from being appointed, his shadow has already entered through the back door, hasn't he.
The second thing I picked up is more possitive though: the spontaneous resistance to Drumpf and his government is significantly growing by the day and some media no longer shy away from pointing that out and specifically pointing to areas to resist. Kudos to all who
UNIFY & RESIST!
He can't fire civil servants, true. But he or his tame Congress, I forget which, can reduce their pay to $1 per year, which would cause most people to have to choose between leaving or starving. And his own appointees can make life very, very miserable for civil servants. I don't see anyone as safe.
Thanks all. SZwamprd Hugs!!
C-Span: How about MAJOR HYOPCRITE? But, this is a Repug'n legislator, so what else would one expect??
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