After giving hours of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 8th (which we covered here), Sally Yates sat down for another round of interviews with CNN's Anderson Cooper to answer all the same questions about Michael Flynn's dismissal all over again. The full interview is set to air tonight at 8pm EST on CNN but a teaser clip has been released for our early digestion.
Perhaps the most provocative part of the teaser comes at the 0:24 mark when Cooper asks whether Flynn's underlying conduct was "illegal." To which Yates responded:
"There is certainly a criminal statute that was implicated by his conduct."
We assume that this quote is more than sufficient grounds for Maxine Waters to, once again, call for Trump's immediate impeachment.
Yates on CNN suggests Flynn broke law: "There's certainly a criminal statute that was implicated by his conduct."https://t.co/fOeJv68RGd
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) May 16, 2017
On whether Flynn should have been fired:
"I think this was a serious compromise situation, that the Russians had real leverage. He also lied to the Vice President of the United States."
"Whether he is fired or not is a decision by the President of the United States to make, but it doesn't seem like that's a person who should be sitting in the national security adviser position."
Of course, Flynn was, in fact, fired over a "trust issue", as Sean Spicer described it, but apparently it just wasn't fast enough for Sally Yates and/or Anderson Cooper. Per CNN:
"We expected the White House to act," she said.
When asked by Cooper if she expected the administration to act quickly, Yates replied, "Yes."
"There was an urgency to the information?" Cooper clarified.
"Yes," Yates said.
Flynn remained in his position for 18 days after Yates had informed the administration about her concerns over his conduct.
As a responsible, fair and balanced journalist, of course Cooper asked Yates whether she was responsible for leaking the Michael Flynn story to the Washington Post but, just as she did before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Yates denied such allegations.
"Absolutely not. I did not and I would not leak classified information."
Trump seemed to have a different opinion:
Ask Sally Yates, under oath, if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers soon after she explained it to W.H. Counsel.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017
Of course, Yates was relieved of her duties as Acting Attorney General on January 31st after she refused to defend Trump's travel ban. The White House released the following statement on the dismissal:
The acting Attorney General, Sally Yates, has betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States. This order was approved as to form and legality by the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel.
Ms. Yates is an Obama Administration appointee who is weak on borders and very weak on illegal immigration.
It is time to get serious about protecting our country. Calling for tougher vetting for individuals travelling from seven dangerous places is not extreme. It is reasonable and necessary to protect our country.
Tonight, President Trump relieved Ms. Yates of her duties and subsequently named Dana Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, to serve as Acting Attorney General until Senator Jeff Sessions is finally confirmed by the Senate, where he is being wrongly held up by Democrat senators for strictly political reasons.
Though we would never doubt Yates' impartiality, we do wonder where her public outcry was when Hillary Clinton was intentionally destroying evidence despite knowledge of a Congressional subpoena demanding its preservation.