On Monday, things reached their nadir when acting attorney general Sally Yates, an Obama holdover with a few days left in office, issued a directive that the Justice Department should not defend the president’s order in court. When their actions are challenged, both Congress and the president are entitled to have their positions forcefully advocated in court. Indeed, she acknowledged that the department’s own Office of Legal Counsel had concluded that the order was legal. That measure makes perfect sense given the president’s plan to establish “safe zones” that will protect innocent civilians inside Syria. William Barr was U.S. attorney general from 1991 to 1993.

Source: National Post February 02, 2017 19:57 UTC