Who Is Sally Yates? Former Acting Attorney General To Testify In Russia Hearing

Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates is set to testify at a Senate subcommittee hearing Monday about what she told President Donald Trump's administration in regard to ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn’s ties Russia. The hearing is primed to reignite tensions over the Trump campaign’s alleged ties to Russia and whether the administration had knowledge of such ties.

President Trump took to Twitter ahead of Monday’s hearing to defend his former security adviser, writing, "General Flynn was given the highest security clearance by the Obama Administration — but the Fake News seldom likes talking about that.”

Three hours later, Trump tweeted, “Ask Sally Yates, under oath, if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers soon after she explained it to W.H. Counsel.”

The Trump administration fired the acting attorney general in January after she said she would not defend his travel ban on immigrants from seven nations in the Middle East and Africa. Sally Yates was replaced with Dana Boente, the White House said in a brief statement.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer announced the move on Twitter. "@POTUS has named Dana Boente, US Attorney for the Eastern District of VA as Acting Attorney General. Sally Yates has been relieved," he wrote Monday night.

Yates, who served as deputy attorney general under Obama, quickly became a liberal hero after she said she couldn't defend the travel ban the Trump administration announced with little notice. At one point, she became a trending topic on Twitter. "@SallyQYates thank you Sally Yates," wrote activist and actress Mia Farrow.

But Trump called Yates' statement a "political" move to block his agenda. "Democrats are delaying my cabinet picks for purely political reasons,'' Trump wrote on Twitter.

Yates was appointed by former President Barack Obama and had served as acting acting attorney general after Loretta Lynch resigned on Inauguration Day. She questioned the legality of Trump's ban.

“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.”

Three hours later, she was fired. A statement from the White House press secretary’s office said: “Ms Yates is an Obama Administration appointee who is weak on borders and very weak on illegal immigration. It is time to get serious about protecting our country. Calling for tougher vetting for individuals traveling from seven dangerous places is not extreme. It is reasonable and necessary to protect our country.”

The release quoted Boente as saying: “I am honored to serve President Trump in this role until Senator Sessions is confirmed. I will defend and enforce the laws of our country to ensure that our people and our nation are protected.”

Yates served in the Department of Justice for 27 years, starting out as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Georgia. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law.