Connecticut's elected officials paid tribute to the actions of now-former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, and expressed grave concern about the independence of the Justice Department under her likely eventual successor, Jeff Sessions.
On Monday night, after Yates took a stand to instruct her attorneys not to defend President Donald Trump's immigration ban, Connecticut U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal took to the Senate floor to praise her actions.
"I want to salute Sally Yates," Blumenthal said, "who has taken a stand based on moral and legal principle in the highest tradition of the Department of Justice, saying that these orders cannot be defended -- that the rule of law and morality is more important than the politics of the moment."
Blumenthal, a former Connecticut attorney general, went on to say that he does not support the confirmation of Sessions.
"I believe that the next attorney general must be a champion, a steadfast advocate, and protector of the rule of law and rights and liberties, that are overridden and abridged by this order," he said.
Blumenthal reiterated his concerns on Twitter:
Yates' actions true to proud tradition that respect for law transcends politics at DOJ. Tradition I fear is at risk if #Sessions becomes AG
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) January 31, 2017
Governor Dannel Malloy also expressed disbelief at the events of Monday night.
"I shake my head," he said to reporters Tuesday, describing the president's actions as unconstitutional.
"He's then gone to the next step -- when a career employee of the criminal justice department refuses to argue that illegal acts are legal, the president can't even wait for two days for that person to be replaced, but has to -- late at night -- fire the person," Malloy said. "There's parts of America that I'm having trouble recognizing."
Malloy said he's consulted with Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen on a challenge to the ban.
"We will coordinate with like-minded attorneys general, and I think that there will be opposition to the president's abridgement of the Tenth Amendment," Malloy said.
