Acting United States Attorney General[edit]
In January 2017, according to a Justice Department spokesman, Yates accepted a request from the incoming administration to serve as Acting Attorney General, beginning on January 20, 2017, and until the successor for Attorney General Loretta Lynch can be confirmed by the United States Senate.[6] On January 30, President-elect Donald Trump was critical of Democratic members of the Senate, saying they were delaying his cabinet nominees.[7]
On January 30, 2017, Yates ordered the Justice Department not to defend Trump's Executive Order "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States", saying "At present, I am not convinced that the defense of the executive order is consistent with these responsibilities [of the Department of Justice], nor am I convinced that the executive order is lawful".[8][9]
