From all appearances, former acting United States Attorney General Sally Yates has had lots and lots of practice with condescending males. Under intense questioning on Monday from a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee, former AG Yates showed she can give as much as she gets. U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) clearly underestimated her in asking why she refused to enforce President Trump's executive order banning Muslims into the United States.

In his questioning, Senator Cornyn asked in a "condescending" manner that he was enormously disappointed that she would dare "countermand" the Muslim ban executive order because she disagreed with the order.

Sally Yates uses Senator Cornyn own words to rebut him

She quickly and naturally slapped back by using Senator Cornyn's own words back at him. She recalled that in her 2015 testimony before none other than Senator Cornyn, she was asked what she would do if the president (then it was President Obama) asked her to enforce an "unlawful or unconstitutional" order.

She reminded the conservative, Republican Texas Senator that she said she would tell the president "no" and promised to do so. She smiled and said, "And that's what I did." Completely ignoring her response, Senator Cornyn said he did not understand how she could override a "lawful" order. AG Yates snapped back, "No Senator, I did not say it was lawful.

I said it was unlawful."

The questioning was on two tracks, one from the Democrats on the subcommittee and one from the Republicans on the subcommittee. The Democrats focused on the warning she gave to the president about the influence of Russia and former national security adviser General Michael Flynn.

Sally Yates easily handled Senator Ted Cruz's 'condescending' questioning

The Republicans focused on trying to destroy her character, which did not succeed.

Another case in point was GOP Senator from Texas, Ted Cruz, who also used questioned her in a "condescending" manner. Shortly after making short order of his Senator Cornyn, she defended her refusal to enforce the "unlawful" executive order banning Muslims. Senator Cruz cited a portion of the United States code granting the president certain authorities in order to limit entry into the United States.

Yates responded that we were talking about religious freedom and "not the interpretation of some arcane statute." She again repeated the executive order issued by Trump was "unlawful" and it was unusual for the president did not clear the order through the Office of Legal Counsel in the Department of Justice (DOJ).

After the handling of these two "condescending" male Senators, talk popped up about Sally Yates running for political office, perhaps even to Texas to take on one of the two southern gentlemen.
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