Sally Yates

Last updated

At present, I am not convinced that the defense of the executive order is consistent with these responsibilities of the Department of Justice, nor am I convinced that the executive order is lawful...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. For as long as I am the acting Attorney General, the Department of Justice will not present arguments in defense of th[is] executive order, unless and until I become convinced that it is appropriate to do so. [35]

In a New York Times editorial published on July 28, 2017, Yates expressed concern about Trump's political influence on the Justice Department, writing "President Trump's actions appear aimed at destroying the fundamental independence of the Justice Department. ... Its investigations and prosecutions must be conducted free from any political interference or influence. ... The very foundation of our justice system—the rule of law—depends on it." [36]

Dismissal

White House press release on the dismissal of Sally Yates Sally Yates Firing Press Release.png
White House press release on the dismissal of Sally Yates

Upon announcing her decision not to defend the order, Yates was immediately dismissed by the Trump administration via hand-delivered letter, and replaced with Dana Boente, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. [37] [24] After taking office, Boente ordered the Justice Department to enforce the executive order. [38]

In a White House statement, Yates was said to have "betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States" [39] and to be "an Obama administration appointee who is weak on borders and very weak on illegal immigration." [5] [40]

Shortly thereafter, acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Daniel Ragsdale was demoted and replaced by Thomas Homan with Ragsdale remaining as deputy director. [5] [41] [42] [43]

Reactions

Some legal experts argued that Yates should have resigned, rather than directing the Justice Department not to defend the executive order, which Cato Institute scholar Josh Blackman called "a textbook case of insubordination". [44] A number of legal scholars praised Yates for standing up against what they perceived as an unconstitutional executive order. Many also believed the rhetoric of "betrayal" Trump used in his letter was unnecessarily incendiary. [45]

In response to her decision not to defend the order, former Attorney General Eric Holder tweeted that he trusted her judgment. [46]

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Yates' actions "a profile in courage. It was a brave act and a right act", while Rep. John Conyers criticized the decision to fire her: "If dedicated government officials deem [Trump's] directives to be unlawful and unconstitutional, he will simply fire them as if government is a reality show." [40]

Law professor Jonathan Adler said, however, that "Yates did not claim she was convinced the order was unlawful, but only that it was not 'wise or just'" and that he was "not aware of any instance in which the Justice Department has refused to defend a presumptively lawful executive action on this basis". Adler argued that she should have resigned and publicly stated her reasons for doing so. [47] It was reported that Yates considered and opted not to resign because she did not want to leave her successor facing the same question. [5] [48]

The editors of National Review said her defiance of the executive order was "inappropriate", since Yates was unelected and "every official in the Justice Department knows, if one disagrees with the law one is called upon to apply, or the policy one is bound to enforce, one is free to resign". [49]

The New York Times and others drew comparisons to the 1973 Saturday Night Massacre, during the Watergate scandal, when Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus both resigned after refusing to carry out President Richard Nixon's order to dismiss special prosecutor Archibald Cox. [5] By analogy, some cable networks began calling Yates' dismissal the "Monday Night Massacre". [50] [51] However, Watergate investigative journalist Carl Bernstein, speaking on CNN, rejected the comparison. "There's a big difference, because the Saturday Night Massacre was really about firing the attorney general when Nixon was the target of an investigation and was actively obstructing justice", he said. "I think the president is within his rights here to fire the attorney general, that he has that ability." [52]

Representative Jackie Speier nominated Yates for the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. [53] Georgia State Senator Elena Parent introduced a resolution commending Yates. Democratic Party operatives in Georgia began recruiting Yates to run for Governor of Georgia in the 2018 election. [54]

Testimonies

House Intelligence Committee

In March 2017, Yates was invited by the House Intelligence Committee to testify before Congress at a public hearing as part of the committee's "bipartisan, ongoing investigation into the Russian active measures campaign targeting the 2016 U.S. election". [55] [56] [57] [58] [59]

Later the same month, however, The Washington Post published documents indicating that the Trump administration had sought to block her from testifying, including letters from the Justice Department to Yates indicating that the administration considers her possible testimony on the ouster of Flynn to be barred by the presidential communications privilege or deliberative process privilege. [60]

The public hearing at which Yates had been set to testify was canceled by Chairman Devin Nunes, who said through his spokesperson that neither he nor anyone else in the committee had discussed Yates's testimony with the White House. [61] White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer called The Washington Post story "false"; said that "the White House has taken no action to prevent Sally Yates from testifying" and that the White House had given its tacit consent; and added "I hope she testifies." [62] [61]

Senate Judiciary Committee

Sally Yates
Sally Q. Yates.jpg
Acting United States Attorney General
In office
January 20, 2017 January 30, 2017
External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Yates testifying before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, May 8, 2017, C-SPAN

On May 8, 2017, Yates and James Clapper testified for three hours before the Senate Judiciary's Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism over the Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. [63] Yates said the FBI interviewed then-National Security Advisor Michael T. Flynn on January 24, 2017. Because of that interview she made an "urgent" request to meet with White House Counsel Don McGahn. [64] She met with him on January 26 and again on January 27. [65] She informed McGahn that Flynn was "compromised" and possibly open to blackmail by the Russians. As previously reported, she told McGahn that Flynn had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials about the nature of his conversation with the Russian ambassador. [66] She said Flynn's "underlying conduct", which she could not describe due to classification, "was problematic in and of itself", adding "(i)t was a whole lot more than one White House official lying to another". [65] [64]

Post–Justice Department

After leaving the Justice Department, Yates became a lecturer at Georgetown University Law Center and returned to Atlanta as a partner at the Atlanta-based international law firm King & Spalding, where she had worked 30 years earlier. Yates' practice focuses on investigations. [67]

Yates delivered a speech as part of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. [68] On September 5, 2020, Yates was announced to be a member of the advisory council of the Biden-Harris Transition Team responsible for planning the presidential transition of Joe Biden. [69] [70] In November, Yates was named a candidate for United States Attorney General in the Biden administration; [71] however, Merrick Garland was ultimately nominated for the post instead. [72]

In October 2021, Yates was hired by the United States Soccer Federation to oversee an investigation regarding abuse claims made by players from the National Women's Soccer League, whose Commissioner Lisa Baird resigned in wake of complaints of sexual improprieties against coaches, including English coaches Paul Riley and Richie Burke. The USSF, the national governing body for the sport (which had operated the NWSL before 2020), indicated that Yates would have "full autonomy" to pursue resolution of the allegations. [73] [74] [75] The final report, issued and published in early October 2022, detailed widespread abuse, sexual coercion, and unprofessional behavior throughout the league, while noting that several teams and prominent league executives either deliberately interfered with the investigation process or refused to participate. [76]

Honors

In January 2016, Yates received Emory University School of Law's Emory Public Interest Committee (EPIC) Inspiration Award. [77] Following Yates's dismissal as Acting Attorney General, Representative Jackie Speier nominated her for the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, and Georgia State Senator Elena Parent introduced a resolution commending Yates. [53] [54] In April 2017, Yates received the Mary Church Terrell Freedom and Justice Award during the Detroit NAACP's 62nd Annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner. [78] [79]

In film

Holly Hunter plays Yates in the 2020 TV miniseries The Comey Rule . [80]

Personal life

Yates's husband, J. Comer Yates, is an executive director of the Atlanta Speech School and was awarded an honorary degree from Oglethorpe University in 2017. [81] In 1994 and 1996, he unsuccessfully ran for Congress as a Democrat. [82] [83] The couple has two children, [84] a daughter, Kelley Malone, and a son, James "Quill" Quillian. [85] [86]

Yates is a Democrat. [87] At the Department of Justice she served under both Democratic and Republican administrations as a career civil servant. [87] She was hired by Republican Bob Barr for her first DOJ position. [87] When appointed deputy attorney general in 2014, Yates was described as well-regarded and non-political; her appointment was praised by Georgia's two senators, both Republicans. [88] After Yates left the Justice Department, Democrats in Georgia sought to draft her as a candidate for governor in 2018; [89] she declined to run. [90]

Yates has written and spoken about suicide prevention, discussing her father's struggles with depression and his suicide in 1986. [91] [92] [93]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Attorney General</span> Head of the US Department of Justice

The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all legal matters. The attorney general is a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Comey</span> American lawyer (born 1960)

James Brien Comey Jr. is an American lawyer who was the seventh director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2013 until his termination in May 2017. Comey was a registered Republican for most of his adult life but in 2016 he stated he was unaffiliated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Office of Legal Counsel</span> Office of the United States Department of Justice

The Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) is an office in the United States Department of Justice that supports the attorney general in their role as legal adviser to the president and all executive branch agencies. It drafts legal opinions of the attorney general and provides its own written opinions and other advice in response to requests from the counsel to the president, the various agencies of the executive branch, and other components of the Department of Justice. The office reviews and comments on the constitutionality of pending legislation. The office reviews any executive orders and substantive proclamations for legality if the president proposes them. All proposed orders of the attorney general and regulations that require the attorney general's approval are reviewed. It also performs a variety of special assignments referred by the attorney general or the deputy attorney general.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation</span> Head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a United States federal law enforcement agency, and is responsible for its day-to-day operations. The FBI director is appointed for a single 10-year term by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. The FBI is an agency within the Department of Justice (DOJ), and thus the director reports to the attorney general of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Barr</span> American attorney (born 1950)

William Pelham Barr is an American attorney who served as United States attorney general in the administration of President George H. W. Bush from 1991 to 1993 and again in the administration of President Donald Trump from 2019 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Flynn</span> U.S. Army general and former U.S. National Security Advisor (born 1958)

Michael Thomas Flynn is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who was the 24th U.S. national security advisor for the first 22 days of the first Trump administration. He resigned in light of reports that he had lied regarding conversations with Russian ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak. Flynn's military career included a key role in shaping U.S. counterterrorism strategy and dismantling insurgent networks in the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, and he was given numerous combat arms, conventional, and special operations senior intelligence assignments. He became the 18th director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in July 2012 until his forced retirement from the military in August 2014. During his tenure he gave a lecture on leadership at the Moscow headquarters of the Russian military intelligence directorate GRU, the first American official to be admitted entry to the headquarters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Boente</span> American lawyer (born 1954)

Dana James Boente ( Bent-Ë) is an American attorney who served as General Counsel of the FBI from January 2018 to 2020, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia from September 2013 to January 2018, and as the Acting United States Attorney General from January to February 2017. He also served as acting assistant attorney general for the National Security Division of the United States Department of Justice. On October 27, 2017, Boente announced he would resign from the Department of Justice after a successor is in place. On January 23, 2018, Boente was named general counsel to the FBI by the director Christopher A. Wray, filling the vacancy after James Baker's reassignment to another part of the bureau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First cabinet of Donald Trump</span> Members of President Donald Trumps Cabinet

Donald Trump assumed office as president of the United States on January 20, 2017, and his term ended on January 20, 2021. The president has the authority to nominate members of his Cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First 100 days of the first Donald Trump presidency</span>

The first 100 days of the Donald Trump presidency began on January 20, 2017, the day Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States. The first 100 days of a presidential term took on symbolic significance during Franklin D. Roosevelt's first term in office, and the period is considered a benchmark to measure the early success of a president. The 100th day of his presidency ended on April 30, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny DeStefano</span> American political advisor (born 1979)

Johnny DeStefano is an American political advisor who served as Assistant to President Donald Trump and Counselor to the President from 2017 to May 2019. He previously oversaw the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, White House Presidential Personnel Office, Office of Political Affairs, and Office of Public Liaison. DeStefano entered the Trump administration as Director of Presidential Personnel. After leaving the White House, DeStefano was appointed an adviser to the e-cigarette company Juul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Executive Order 13775</span> Order signed by the President in 2017

Executive Order 13775 is the eleventh executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Signed on February 9, 2017, the order changes the line of succession for the Department of Justice (DOJ). This order specifically reverses changes made to the DOJ line of succession that former President Barack Obama made in executive order 13762.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ezra Cohen</span> American intelligence official (born 1986)

Ezra Cohen, also known as Ezra Cohen-Watnick, is an American intelligence official who served as the acting under secretary of defense for intelligence during the first Trump Administration. He previously served as the acting assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, national security adviser to the United States attorney general and as a former senior director for intelligence programs for the United States National Security Council (NSC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dismissal of James Comey</span> Politically-charged firing

James Comey, the seventh director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was fired by U.S. President Donald Trump on May 9, 2017. Comey had been criticized in 2016 for his handling of the FBI's investigation of the Hillary Clinton email controversy and in 2017 for the FBI's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections as it related to alleged collusion with Trump's presidential campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mueller special counsel investigation</span> U.S. investigation into Russian interference in U.S. elections

The Robert Mueller special counsel investigation was an investigation into 45th U.S. president Donald Trump regarding Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections and was conducted by special prosecutor Robert Mueller from May 2017 to March 2019. It was also called the Russia investigation, Mueller probe, and Mueller investigation. The investigation focused on three points:

  1. Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
  2. Trump associates and their connection to Russian officials and espionage
  3. Possible obstruction of justice by Trump and his associates

This is a timeline of major events in the first half of 2017 related to the investigations into links between associates of Donald Trump and Russian officials and spies that are suspected of being inappropriate, relating to Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. Following the timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections before and after July 2016 up until election day November 8 and the post-election transition, this article begins with Donald Trump and Mike Pence being sworn into office on January 20, 2017, and is followed by the second half of 2017. The investigations continued in the first and second halves of 2018, the first and second halves of 2019, 2020, and 2021.

This is a timeline of events in the first half of 2019 related to investigations into the many suspicious links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies relating to the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. It follows the timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, both before and after July 2016, until November 8, 2016, the transition, the first and second halves of 2017, the first and second halves of 2018, and followed by the second half of 2019, 2020, and 2021.

This is a timeline of events from 2020 to 2022 related to investigations into the many suspicious links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies relating to the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. It follows the timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, both before and after July 2016, until November 8, 2016, election day, the transition, the first and second halves of 2017, the first and second halves of 2018, and the first and second halves of 2019.

<i>United States v. Flynn</i> Criminal case in U.S. courts

United States v. Flynn was a criminal case in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia which was dismissed without any convictions in December 2020 following a presidential pardon. Michael Flynn, a retired lieutenant general in the United States Armed Forces, had accepted President-elect Donald Trump's offer for the position of National Security Advisor in 2016 and then briefly served as National Security Advisor. He pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Flynn's alleged false statements involve conversations he had with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak when Flynn was incoming National Security Advisor to President-elect Trump, and Flynn agreed to cooperate with the Special Counsel investigation as part of a plea deal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allegations of Barack Obama spying on Donald Trump</span> Claims that President Obama spied on incoming President Trump

As part of a large and baseless conspiracy theory, Donald Trump posited that Barack Obama had spied on him, which Trump described as "the biggest political crime in American history, by far." The series of accusations have been nicknamed Obamagate. Obama had served as President of the United States from 2009 until 2017, when Trump succeeded him; Trump served as president until 2021.

References

  1. Vernoica Stracqualursi (May 8, 2017). "Everything you need to know about former acting Attorney General Sally Yates". ABC News .
  2. Johnson, Jenna (December 7, 2015). "Trump calls for 'total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States'". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  3. Barbash, Fred (May 9, 2017). "Muslim ban language suddenly disappears from Trump campaign website after Spicer questioned". Washington Post . Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  4. Perez, Evan; Diamond, Jeremy (January 30, 2017). "Trump fires acting AG after she declines to defend travel ban". CNN . Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Landler, Mark; Shear, Michael D.; Apuzzo, Matt; Lichtblau, Eric (January 30, 2017). "Trump Fires Acting Attorney General Who Defied Him". The New York Times . Retrieved January 30, 2017. The decision by the acting attorney general is a remarkable rebuke by a government official to a sitting president that recalls the dramatic "Saturday Night Massacre" in 1973, when President Richard M. Nixon fired his attorney general and deputy attorney general for refusing to dismiss the special prosecutor in the Watergate case. That case prompted a constitutional crisis that ended when Robert Bork, the solicitor general, acceded to Mr. Nixon's order and fired Archibald Cox, the special prosecutor.
  6. de Vogue, Ariane; Stracqualursi, Veronica (June 27, 2018). "Supreme Court upholds travel ban". CNN . Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  7. Barrett, Devlin; Zapotosky, Matt. "Biden searches for attorney general to restore Justice Dept.'s independence, refocus on civil rights". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  8. 1 2 "J. Kelley Quillian, 1966–1984 Chief Judge: 1981–1982". Georgia Court of Appeals. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  9. "Xara QUILLIAN Obituary". Legacy.
  10. Skinner, Winston (February 1, 2017). "Ousted AG has ties to local area". The Newnan Times-Herald .
  11. Clifford, Catherine (January 31, 2017). "How Sally Yates' life and career formed the principles that just got her fired". CNBC . Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  12. Rankin, Bill (May 12, 2017). "Sally Yates: 'I did my job the best way I knew how'". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  13. Bill, David (December 23, 2014). "UGA law graduate Sally Yates nominated for U.S. deputy attorney general". UGA Today .
  14. 1 2 3 4 Watkins, Eli (January 30, 2017). "Who is Sally Yates?". CNN . Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  15. 1 2 Questionnaire for Non-Judicial Nominees: Sally Quillian Yates, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary (2015).
  16. 1 2 3 Jeffries, Fran (December 21, 2014). "Report: Sally Yates is Obama's pick for deputy attorney general". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  17. Horwitz, Sari (December 21, 2014). "Sally Yates said to be Obama's nominee for Justice Department's second in command". The Washington Post .
  18. "#477: 10-14-98 Eric Rudolph Charged in Centennial Olympic Park Bombing". www.justice.gov. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  19. Stockman, Rachel (January 31, 2017). "Who Is Sally Yates? Some Republicans Once Called Her 'Hero' Before She Defied Trump's Order". Fox News. Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  20. "Senate Roll Call Vote #177, 114th Congress - 1st Session: "On the Nomination of Sally Quillian Yates, of Georgia, to be Deputy Attorney General"". United States Senate Recorded Votes. May 13, 2015.
  21. Horwitz, Sari (May 17, 2015). "New deputy attorney general: 'We're not the Department of Prosecutions'". Washington Post. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  22. Plumer, Brad (January 31, 2017). "Watch: Jeff Sessions tells Sally Yates to be ready to stand up to the president — in 2015". Vox . Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  23. "Loretta Lynch Is Sworn In as Attorney General". New York Times. April 27, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  24. 1 2 Horwitz, Sari (January 30, 2017). "Who is Sally Yates? Meet the acting attorney general Trump fired for 'betraying' the Justice Department". The Washington Post . Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  25. "Yates memo", lw.com; accessed February 12, 2017.
  26. "Obama to commute hundreds of federal drug sentences in final grants of clemency". Washington Post.
  27. Gerstein, Josh (January 17, 2017). "Trump will allow U.S. attorneys to stay past Friday". Politico. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  28. Dunleavy, Jerry (May 8, 2020). "Sally Yates learned of Flynn targeting from Obama as Comey kept her in the dark, declassified documents show". Washington Examiner. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  29. The Hill Staff (May 13, 2020). "READ: List of Obama officials who sought to 'unmask' Flynn". The Hill. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  30. Brown, Pamela; Watkins, Eli. "White House was warned Flynn could be blackmailed by Russia". CNN . Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  31. Entous, Adam; Nakashima, Ellen; Rucker, Philip (February 13, 2017). "Justice Department warned White House that Flynn could be vulnerable to Russian blackmail, officials say". The Washington Post . Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  32. Yates, Sally (May 9, 2017). "A Double Does of Lawlessness". The Atlantic . Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  33. Berman, Mark; Zapotosky, Matt (January 30, 2017). "Acting Attorney General declares Justice Department won't defend Trump's immigration order". The Washington Post . Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  34. "Courts Stay Trump's Order Targeting Muslims, but Confusion Reigns". The Atlantic . Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  35. Yates, Sally (January 30, 2017). "Letter From Sally Yates". The New York Times . Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  36. Yates, Sally (July 28, 2017). "Protect the Justice Department From President Trump". The New York Times . Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  37. "Trump fires acting Attorney General who defied him on immigration". Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  38. Schleifer, Theodore (January 31, 2017). "New acting attorney general set for brief tenure". CNN . Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  39. Allen, Hannah (January 31, 2017). "Trump fires Justice Department lawyer Sally Yates over immigration order". Financial Review .
  40. 1 2 Gerstein, Josh (January 30, 2017). "Trump fires defiant acting attorney general". Politico . Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  41. Berman, Mark; Zapotosky, Matt (January 30, 2017). "Trump appoints new Immigration and Customs Enforcement director noted for his work deporting illegal immigrants". The Washington Post . Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  42. Lavender, Paige (January 30, 2017). "Trump Fires ICE Director Daniel Ragsdale, Appoints Thomas Homan". The Huffington Post . Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  43. "Statement from Secretary Kelly on the President's Appointment of Thomas D. Homan as Acting ICE Director". Department of Homeland Security . Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  44. Blackman, Josh (January 31, 2017). "Why Trump Had to Fire Sally Yates". Politico Magazine .
  45. Cillizza, Chris (January 31, 2017). "Donald Trump firing Sally Yates isn't the big story. How he did it is". The Washington Post . Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  46. "Trump fires acting attorney general in rift over immigration order". USA Today . January 30, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  47. Adler, Jonathan (January 30, 2017). "Acting attorney general orders Justice Department attorneys not to defend immigration executive order [UPDATED]". The Washington Post .
  48. Apuzzo, Matt (January 31, 2017). "Trump's Talk About Muslims Led Acting Attorney General to Defy Ban". The New York Times . Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  49. The Editors (January 30, 2017). "Why Yates Had to Go". National Review . Retrieved January 31, 2017.{{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  50. Jacobs, Ben (January 30, 2017). "Monday night massacre?". The Guardian . Already commentators are comparing Sally Yates's firing to the so-called Saturday Night Massacre of 1973. However, what some cable networks are calling "the Monday night massacre" doesn't quite measure up to that notorious night in the Nixon administration.
  51. Roy, Jessica (January 30, 2017). "Why people are calling the acting attorney general's firing the 'Monday Night Massacre'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  52. Zelizer, Julian (January 31, 2017). "Monday night massacre is a wake-up call to Senate Democrats". CNN . Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  53. 1 2 Amatulli, Jenna (January 31, 2017). "Sally Yates Has Been Nominated For JFK Profile In Courage Award". The Huffington Post . Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  54. 1 2 Quigley, Aidan (February 17, 2017). "Georgia Democrats try to lure Sally Yates into governor's race". Politico . Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  55. Barrett, Devlin; Entous, Adam (March 28, 2017). "Read the letters on Sally Yates's potential congressional testimony on Russia". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  56. "The House Intelligence Committee invites Sally Yates to testify". documentcloud.org. March 14, 2017.
  57. "Sally Yates's lawyer responds to the Justice Dept., requesting the permission to testify". documentcloud.org. March 23, 2017.
  58. "Justice Dept. tells Sally Yates to consult the White House". documentcloud.org. March 24, 2017.
  59. "Sally Yates's lawyers send letter to the White House". documentcloud.org. March 24, 2017.
  60. Devlin Barrett & Adam Entous, "Trump administration sought to block Sally Yates from testifying to Congress on Russia", The Washington Post (March 28, 2017).
  61. 1 2 Aruna Viswanatha, "Trump Administration Discouraged Sally Yates Testimony: Former acting attorney general's public hearing about Russia was canceled", The Wall Street Journal (March 28, 2017).
  62. Reid, Paula (March 28, 2017). "Former acting AG Sally Yates asked DOJ if she could testify at Russia hearing". CBS News. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  63. Rosenberg, Matthew (May 8, 2017). "6 Takeaways From Monday's Senate Hearing on Russia". The New York Times. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  64. 1 2 "Sally Yates warned White House Michael Flynn was vulnerable to Russian blackmail". 11 Alive. May 8, 2017.
  65. 1 2 Borger, Julian (May 8, 2017). "Mike Flynn at risk of Russian blackmail, Sally Yates warned White House". The Guardian. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  66. "Yates says Flynn could have been 'blackmailed,' Clapper knocks collusion narrative". Fox News. May 8, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  67. Horwitz, Sari (May 8, 2018). "Sally Yates returns to Atlanta-based law firm to focus on investigations". The Washington Post . Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  68. "'He's trampled the rule of law.' Former acting Atty. Gen. Sally Yates skewers Trump at the DNC". Los Angeles Times. August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  69. "Cindy McCain Joins Biden-Harris Transition Team's Advisory Board". President-Elect Joe Biden. September 28, 2020. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  70. "Biden Transition Organization - Staff, Advisors". www.democracyinaction.us. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  71. "Who Are Contenders for Biden's Cabinet?". The New York Times. November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  72. Carney, Jordain (February 9, 2021). "Senate sets hearing for Garland's attorney general nomination". TheHill. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  73. Sally Yates to investigate sexual abuse in women's soccer league, The Hill , Sarah Polus, October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  74. Fels, Sam (August 12, 2021). "Now we may know why Richie Burke is no longer coaching the Washington Spirit". Deadspin. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  75. Grannam, Cydney (September 28, 2021). "Washington Spirit Coach Fired After Investigation Into Verbal Abuse". DCist. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  76. Draper, Kevin (October 3, 2022). "Report Details 'Systemic' Abuse of Players in Women's Soccer". The New York Times . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  77. Greer, A. Kenyatta. "Inspiration Awards honored student, community leaders for public service" (Press release). Emory Law News Center. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  78. "U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren to Serve As Keynote Speaker for 62nd Annual Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner". Detroit NAACP. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  79. Dixon, Alisha. "Detroit NAACP announces honorees and keynote speaker for the 62nd NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner". Michigan Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  80. Otterson, Joe (October 10, 2019). "Holly Hunter to Play Sally Yates in CBS Studios' James Comey Miniseries". Variety . Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  81. Vary, Renee (May 2, 2017). "Atlanta Speech School's Comer Yates to Address Oglethorpe University 2017 Graduates" . Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  82. Bluestein, Greg (January 30, 2017). "Trump fires Sally Yates, the latest Georgian to defy him". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  83. Grossman, Andrew; Barrett, Devlin (December 21, 2014). "Obama to Nominate Atlanta U.S. Attorney Yates to No. 2 Justice Department Job" . The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  84. Rankin, Bill (May 12, 2017). "Sally Yates: 'I did my job the best way I knew how'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  85. Morrow, Brendan (January 30, 2017). "Sally Yates: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.
  86. Stracqualusi, Veronica (May 8, 2017). "Everything you need to know about Sally Yates". ABC News.
  87. 1 2 3 Interview with Sally Yates, Anderson Cooper 360° (May 16, 2017).
  88. Michael Doyle, Obama nominates Georgia attorney for No. 2 at Justice Department, McClatchy Washington Bureau (December 22, 2014).
  89. Aidan Quigley, Georgia Democrats try to lure Sally Yates into governor's race, Politico (February 17, 2017).
  90. Ryan Lizza, Preserving the Russia Investigation: A Preview of Our Interview with Sally Yates, New Yorker (May 16, 2017).
  91. Sally Yates, When darkness falls— my dad's battle with depression, CNN (June 11, 2018).
  92. Sally Yates opens up about dad's suicide, The Axe Files With David Axelrod, CNN (June 11, 2018).
  93. Henry Unger, U.S. Attorney Sally Yates: 'Nobody is a success on their own', Atlanta Journal-Constitution (September 14, 2013).
Legal offices
Preceded by United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia
Acting

2004
Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia
2010–2015
Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Deputy Attorney General
2015–2017
Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Attorney General
Acting

2017
Succeeded by
Dana Boente
Acting