Spicer: WH Slow To Act On Yates’ Warning Because She Was ‘Political Opponent’

The White House on Tuesday said President Donald Trump’s administration was slow to act in January on warnings about ousted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn from former acting Attorney General Sally Yates because she was “a political opponent of the President.”

White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Tuesday said Yates “is not exactly someone that was excited about President Trump taking office or his agenda.”

“I think if you flip the scenario and say, what if we just dismissed somebody because a political opponent of the President had made an utterance, you would argue that it was pretty irrational to act in that manner,” Spicer said.

“How is she a political opponent of the President?” the Daily Caller’s Kaitlan Collins asked. “She was the acting attorney general that he kept on.”

“Appointed by the Obama administration and a strong supporter of Clinton,” Spicer replied.

Later in the briefing, another reporter pressed Spicer on that remark.

“You said that Sally Yates was a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton. What is that based on?” Politico’s Matthew Nussbaum asked.

“I think she’s made some, you know, I think it was widely rumored to play a large role in the Justice Department if Hillary Clinton had won,” Spicer said.

Pressed again on Flynn’s delayed ouster, Spicer claimed that Yates’ refusal several days later to enforce Trump’s executive order barring immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries retroactively justified the White House’s lack of action.

“You said it was widely rumored that she wanted to be a part of the Clinton White House, potentially. And so that makes you negate her coming to the—” NBC News’ Hallie Jackson began, before Spicer interrupted.

No, I’m not — again, no, no, I guess my point is that somebody who is not — who clearly showed by the fact that career DOJ attorneys told her that the President’s lawful order — that she should sign the president’s lawful order, and then chose not to do it—” he began.

“That was after!” Jackson interrupted.

“I get it,” Spicer said. “But that vindicates the President’s point, that this was not somebody who was looking out — I think my point is that we were correct in the assumptions that we made at the time.”