The Long Road to Trexit

Donald Trump fired U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates after she instructed the Justice Department — which is headed by the attorney general in the U.S. — not to defend Trump’s order on barring entry to the U.S. to citizens of seven Muslim countries until the legality of his order is established.

“At present, I am not convinced that the defense of the Executive Order is consistent with [the Department’s] responsibilities nor am I convinced that the Executive Order is lawful … for as long as I am the Acting Attorney General, the Department of Justice will not present arguments in defense of the Executive Order, unless and until I become convinced that it is appropriate to do so.” Yates was at her job for 10 days; on Jan. 20, she agreed to fulfill the duty of attorney general for Loretta Lynch until Donald Trump’s nominee for that position is confirmed by the senate.

In an explanation for her decision, Sally Yates wrote that she must “… ensure that the position of the Department of Justice is not only legally defensible, but is informed by our best view of what the law is after consideration of all the facts … ,” and is “… 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.”

In a press release about firing Sally Yates, the White House stated that she “betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States.”

Earlier, two federal judges, Judge Donnelly in New York and Judge Barrows in Massachusetts, issued an injunction on the detaining of several people, who came under the order upon entering the United States (the detainees in Massachusetts, for example, are students).

So, in summary, there are three brief conclusions:

– Civil society in America is one of the strongest and most worthwhile institutions.

– American officials and judges in the United States are also part of civil society.

– The road to Trexit might not be that long, but the process of extracting Trump from the White House will be a bitter fight.