Acting Attorney General Says Justice Department Won’t Defend Trump’s Ban On Refugees, Travelers

By Elise Foley, Ryan J. Reilly and Sam Stein 

WASHINGTON ― In a stunning announcement Monday afternoon, acting Attorney General Sally Yates said the Justice Department won’t defend President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking all refugees and certain foreign nationals.

“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, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, wrote to Justice Department lawyers, the New York Times first reported.. “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.”

The announcement from Yates delivers a symbolic blow to the executive order Trump signed on Friday suspending all refugee resettlement for 120 days, halting Syrian refugee resettlement entirely and temporarily barring entry of nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. 

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The Huffington Post