Washington, January 31 (RHC)-- U.S. President Donald Trump fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates on Monday night, just hours after she announced the Justice Department would not defend Trump’s executive order banning temporarily all refugees, as well as all citizens, from the seven Muslim-majority nations Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Sally Yates had written a memo saying: "I am not convinced that the defense of the executive order is consistent with these responsibilities nor am I convinced that the executive order is lawful."

The acting attorney general had served in the Justice Department for 27 years.  Trump had asked her to serve as acting attorney general until the Senate confirmed Senator Jeff Sessions, who is a close ally of Trump.