by
Rep. John Conyers
Some critics call it the "Monday Night Massacre," a reference to the "Saturday Night Massacre" when President Richard Nixon on Oct. 20, 1973 fired independent special prosecutor Archibald Cox, Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus resigned.
On Monday night, President Donald Trump fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates after she decided the Justice Department lawyers would not go to court to defend the administration's ban on people coming to America from seven Muslim nations. She said it did not appear to be legal. Trump said she had betrayed the administration.
Rep. John Conyers condemns the move:
"President Trump has commenced a course of conduct that is Nixonian in its design and execution and threatens the long-vaunted independence of the Justice Department. If dedicated government officials deem his directives to be unlawful and unconstitutional, he will simply fire them as if government is a reality show. I call on my colleagues, regardless of party, to condemn this executive order and the reckless firing of our chief law enforcement officer.
“I am also concerned that this decision to force Acting Attorney General Yates from her post before her successor is confirmed leaves an unacceptable gap in our law enforcement and national security capabilities. Ms. Yates was the only official of the Department of Justice currently authorized to make an application of any kind to the FISA court. It is unacceptable to fire her and leave law enforcement and national security in the lurch.”
