FORMER DEPUTY TO STRICT ATTORNEY SALLY YATES HAD TO GET
CONFIRMED BY THE SENATE BACK IN 2015 AFTER SHE WAS NOMINATED BY
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.
DURING THOSE CONFIRMATION HEARINGS SHE
WAS QUESTIONED ABOUT A NUMBER OF THINGS INCLUDING WHETHER OR NOT
SHE WOULD BE WILLING TO PRIORITIZE THE LAW OVER WHAT
PRESIDENT OBAMA WOULD WANT.
SO IF PRESIDENT OBAMA WANTS TO DO
SOMETHING UNLAWFUL, PEOPLE WANTED TO ENSURE THAT SHE WOULD
DEFINITELY SIDE WITH THE LAW AS OPPOSED TO THE PRESIDENT.
IN FACT, DURING THESE INTERVIEWS AND INTERESTING PERSON
ASKED HER THAT VERY QUESTION.
>>I AM COMMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
I LOVE
OUR DEPARTMENT.
I CARE DEEPLY ABOUT OUR MISSION, AND I WOULD
DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO PROTECT THE INTEGRITY THAT IS
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
>>YOU HAVE TO WATCH OUT, BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL BE ASKING
YOU TO DO THINGS YOU NEED TO SAY NO ABOUT.
YOU THINK THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO SAY NO TO THE
PRESIDENT IF HE ASKS FOR SOMETHING IMPROPER?
A LOT OF
PEOPLE HAVE DEFENDED THE LYNCH NOMINATION, FOR EXAMPLE, BY
SAYING HE APPOINTS SOMEONE WHO WILL EXECUTE HIS VIEWS.
WHAT IS
WRONG WITH THAT?
BUT IF THE VIEWS THE PRESIDENT WANTS TO
EXECUTE ARE UNLAWFUL, SHOULD THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OR DEPUTY
ATTORNEY GENERAL SAY NO?
>>I BELIEVE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OR DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL
HAS AN OBLIGATION TO FOLLOW THE LAW AND CONSTITUTION AND
GIVE THEIR INDEPENDENT LEGAL ADVICE TO THE PRESIDENT.
>>THAT'S TRUE, AND LIKE ANY CEO OF A LAW FIRM, SOMETIMES THE
LAWYERS HAVE TO TELL THE CEO, MR.
CEO, YOU CAN'T DO THAT.
IT
WILL GET US SUED, IT WILL BE IN VIOLATION OF THE LAW, YOU WILL
REGRET IT.
PLEASE.
NO MATTER HOW HEADSTRONG THEY MIGHT BE.
YOU
FEEL LIKE THAT IS THE DUTY OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE?
>>I DO, TO FAIRLY AND IMPARTIALLY EVALUATE THE LAW AND
PROVIDE THE PRESIDENT AND ADMINISTRATION WITH
IMPARTIAL LEGAL ADVICE.
>>THAT'S AMAZING.
THAT'S AN AMAZING VIDEO.
>>THAT'S PERFECT.
OTHER ROLES HAVE REVERSED A LITTLE, JEFF
SESSIONS, WHO WAS A SENATOR THERE, WHO WAS GRILLING YATES
WHILE SHE WAS BEING NOMINATED FOR DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL, IS
NOW BEING GRILLED FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL, AND IN FACT A LOT OF
DEMOCRATS ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH HIS ANSWERS AND HENCE HAVE NOT
VOTED TO CONFIRM HIM YET.
BACK THEN HE IS SAYING YOU'VE GOT TO
MAKE SURE YOU CAN HOLD THE PRESIDENT IN CHECK.
NOW THE
NUMBER ONE REASON THE DEMOCRATS ARE HOLDING UP SESSIONS IS THEY
THINK HE IS UNCRITICALLY LOYAL TO DONALD TRUMP, THAT HE WILL
NOT BE ABLE TO STEP UP TO DONALD TRUMP.
AND ACCORSI ASKED TO
THOSE QUESTIONS BECAUSE YATES WAS GOING TO WORK FOR OBAMA AND
HE DIDN'T THINK SHE'D BE WORKING FOR TRUMP.
SO AS LUCK AND FATE
WOULD HAVE IT SHE'S THE ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR TRUMP
BECAUSE SESSIONS HAS NOT BEEN CONFIRMED YET, AND SHE STANDS UP
TO THE PRESIDENT JUST LIKE SESSIONS ASKED HER TO.
PERFECT.
>>FIRST OFF I JUST WANT TO STATE THAT FORMER GENERAL ATTORNEY
SALLY YATES PROVED HERSELF RIGHT.
NOW WE KNOW WHAT KIND OF
ACTIONS SHE WOULD TAKE IF SHE DISAGREED WITH THE ACTIONS OF
THE PRESIDENT.
AND IT'S NOT EASY TO STAND UP TO SOMEONE LIKE
DONALD TRUMP IN THIS CLIMATE, SO SHE GETS FIRED IMMEDIATELY, SHE
CLAIMS SHE WANTED TO RESIGN AS SOON AS THIS ISSUE CAME UP AND
SHE WAS BLINDSIDED BY IT, BECAUSE OF COURSE NO ONE IS
GOING TO CONFIDE IN HER OR ASK HER FOR HER ADVICE PRIOR TO
SIGNING THAT EXECUTIVE ORDER, BUT NONETHELESS SHE FOLLOWED
THROUGH ON WHAT HER PROMISES WERE IN THAT HEARING.
AND ALSO,
LOOK, JEFF SESSIONS HIMSELF SAID IT IN THAT QUESTIONING, IN THAT
LINE OF QUESTIONING -- SOMETIMES YOU GOT TO GO TO THE CEO AND
SAY, MR.
CEO, THAT'S NOT RIGHT, THAT'S NOT LEGAL, RIGHT?
SO WHAT
ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN TRUMP DOES SOMETHING THAT IS UNLAWFUL?
ARE YOU IN TALKS WITH TRUMP RIGHT NOW REGARDING THE FEDERAL
COURT ORDERS THAT ISSUED A PARTIAL STAY IN REGARD TO THIS
IMMIGRATION BAN?
PROBABLY NOT, YOU AREN'T GOING TO DISSENT OR
DISAGREE WITH HIM.
>>IF I WERE DEMOCRATS I'D SAY LISTEN, LET'S COME BACK IN AND
HAVE JUST ONE QUICK SET OF QUESTIONS FOR SESSIONS AND THEN
WE WILL HAVE A VOTE.
REPUBLICANS ARE IN THE MAJORITY SO THEY
WOULD WIN THAT VOTE, BUT MY QUESTION WOULD BE YOU HAVE FIVE
FEDERAL COURTS SAYING THIS BAN SHOULD NOT BE IMPLEMENT IT AT
THIS TIME, IT HAS TO BE FURTHER ADJUDICATED.
AS ATTORNEY GENERAL
WILL YOU LISTEN TO THE FEDERAL COURTS OR IGNORE FEDERAL COURT
RULINGS?
AND IF YOU IGNORE FEDERAL COURT RULINGS, DOES THAT
MEAN THE PRESIDENT IS ABOVE THE LAW?
WHAT ELSE IS HE ALLOWED TO
DO?
THOSE ARE SIMPLE QUESTIONS, LET'S ASK SESSIONS, AND IF HE
HAS GOOD ANSWERS AND HE SAYS FROM NOW ON THE COURT SYSTEM IS
IRRELEVANT, THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH HAS BECOME BASICALLY KING --
OKAY, THEN WE KNOW YOUR ANSWER.
BUT IF HE SAYS OF COURSE WE HAVE
TO FOLLOW THE COURTS, THAT'S THE AMERICAN SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT,
SO THE MINUTE I GET IN I WILL TELL PRESIDENT TRUMP, MR.
PRESIDENT, WE WILL DO THE BAN BUT WE HAVE TO WIN IN COURT
FIRST, WE CAN'T AND LIMITED FOR NOW, WE WILL WIN IN COURT AND
IMPOTENT LATER BUT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THE COURTS -- IT'S HIS
CALL, HE CAN ENTER IT EITHER WAY BUT WE NEED AN ANSWER BEFORE WE
MOVE FORWARD ON SESSIONS.
>>EXACTLY.
NOW, IN 2015 WHEN SALLY YATES WAS CONFIRMED BY THE
SENATE, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS WHO HAD
POSITIVE THINGS TO SAY ABOUT HER, AND IT'S INTERESTING
BECAUSE NOW THAT SHE'S BEEN FIRED FOR TRUMP THESE PEOPLE ARE
NOT COMING OUT AND SUPPORTING HER AND DEFENDING HER.
I WANT TO
GIVE YOU A FEW OF THOSE QUOTES BECAUSE I THINK THEY ARE
IMPORTANT.
ONE PERSON WAS SENATOR JOHNNY ISAACSON FROM
GEORGIA, HE SAID FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS, SHE -- HAS IN SALLY
YATES -- HAS BEEN THE CHIEF ATTORNEY AND SHE PROVED HERSELF
OVER AND OVER AGAIN TO BE EFFECTIVE, TO BE FAIR, TO BE
DILIGENT, TO BE THE KIND OF PERSON YOU WOULD WANT
REPRESENTING YOU IN THE U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
>>THAT SOUNDS PRETTY GOOD TO ME.
HE CALLED HER A GREAT HERO, SAID
SHE HAD IMPECCABLE INTEGRITY AND AN IMPECCABLE RECORD.
IT DOESN'T GET BETTER THAN THAT.
>>ANOTHER LAWMAKER WAS SENATOR DAVID PURDUE, ALSO FROM GEORGIA,
AND HERE'S WHAT HE HAD TO SAY --
FOR YEARS SHE HAS PROSECUTED THE MOST VIOLENT CRIMINAL
ORGANIZATIONS IN GEORGIA, NOTORIOUS GANGS, DRUG CARTELS,
HUMAN SMUGGLING, SEX TRAFFICKING.
THE PEOPLE IN
GEORGIA WERE FORTUNATE TO HAVE BENEFITED FROM HER WORK IN THE
SERVICE OF JUSTICE FOR SO MANY YEARS.
>>SO MANY POSITIVE THINGS TO SAY ABOUT HER IN THE PAST BUT NOW
SHE WANTS TO PRIORITIZE THE LAW AND SHE'S A TERRIBLE PERSON WHO
NEEDS TO BE FIRED.
>>CLASSIC TRUMP MOVE, CLEAR OUT EVERYONE WHO DOESN'T AGREE WITH
HIM.
ALSO A CLASSIC AUTHORITARIAN MOVE, ANYONE WHO
IS POLITICALLY INCORRECT -- THEY MIGHT BE LEGALLY CORRECT, THEY
MIGHT BE FACTUALLY CORRECT -- BUT IF THEY ARE POLITICALLY
INCORRECT THEY ARE IMMEDIATELY FIRED.