Trump fires defiant acting attorney general over immigration order
Donald Trump has fired the acting US attorney general, after she questioned the legality of his immigration ban
Acting Attorney General Sally Yates ordered justice department lawyers not to enforce the President's executive order
US President Donald Trump fired top federal government lawyer Sally Yates on Monday after she took the extraordinarily rare step of defying the White House and refused to defend new travel restrictions targeting seven Muslim-majority nations.
Yates, who had been appointed under Barack Obama, earlier ordered justice department lawyers not to enforce the President's executive order, saying that she did not believe it would be "consistent with this institution's solemn obligation to always seek justice and stand for what is right."
Hours later, she was fired. The White House said Yates "has betrayed the department of justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States" and portrayed her actions as political.
Trump's directive put a 120-day hold on allowing refugees into the country, an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria and a 90-day bar on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Trump has argued tougher vetting of immigrants is needed to protect America from terror attacks but critics complain that his order unfairly singles out Muslims and defiles America's historic reputation as a welcoming place for immigrants.
The Friday night ban prompted protests and chaos at airports on the weekend as customs officials struggled to put the order into practice, and the fallout spread to US markets on Monday, where stocks suffered their biggest drop of 2017 and companies affected by the change spoke out against it.
Dana Boente, US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, replaced her as acting attorney general until Trump's pick for the spot Republican Senator Jeff Sessions is approved.
