‘We can’t control whether our public servants lie to us. But we can control whether we hold them accountable for those lies…”
Sally Yates was the Acting Attorney General when President Donald Trump, just ten days into his administration, fired her for refusing to defend his Muslim travel ban. Yates immediately became a hero to the left, almost the embodiment of the historic Women’s March protest the day after Trump was inaugurated.
Many urged her to run for office, but Yates has remained relatively quiet, speaking out rarely.
This is one of those rare moments, and may be a sign of more from her.
“We are not living in ordinary times, and it is not enough for us to admire our nation’s core values from afar,” writes Yates in a USA Today op-ed Tuesday titled, “Who are we as a country? Time to decide.” She urges Americans to “stand up.”
“Speak out. Our country needs all of us to raise our collective voices in support of our democratic ideals and institutions. That is what we stand for. That is who we are. And with a shared commitment to our founding principles, that is who we will remain.”
Yates, who in March was reportedly blocked by the White House from testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, does not mention President Trump by name but clearly is responding to his actions and statements, along with others in his administration and their enablers, like Fox News.
“Despite our differences, we as Americans have long held a shared vision of what our country means and what values we expect our leaders to embrace. Today, our continued commitment to these unifying principles is needed more than ever,” Writes Yates.
“What are the values that unite us? You don’t have to look much further than the Preamble to our Constitution, just 52 words, to find them:”
“We the people of the United States†(we are a democratic republic, not a dictatorship) “in order to form a more perfect union†(we are a work in progress dedicated to a noble pursuit) “establish justice†(we revere justice as the cornerstone of our democracy) “insure domestic tranquility†(we prize unity and peace, not divisiveness and discord), “provide for the common defense†(we should never give any foreign adversary reason to question our solidarity) “promote the general welfare†(we care about one another; compassion and decency matter) “and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity†(we have a responsibility to protect not just our own generation, but future ones as well).
And here’s where Yates really blasts Trump and his administration.
“Our shared values include another essential principle, and that’s the rule of law — the promise that the law applies equally to everyone, that no person is above it, and that all are entitled to its protection. This concept of equal protection recognizes that our country’s strength comes from honoring, not weaponizing, the diversity that springs from being a nation of Native Americans and immigrants of different races, religions and nationalities.”
She attacks Trump’s role as the disruptor and destroyer of “important traditions and norms” and institutions.
“The rule of law depends not only on things that are written down, but also on important traditions and norms, such as apolitical law enforcement. That’s why Democratic and Republican administrations alike, at least since Watergate, have honored that the rule of law requires a strict separation between the Justice Department and the White House on criminal cases and investigations. This wall of separation is what ensures the public can have confidence that the criminal process is not being used as a sword to go after one’s political enemies or as a shield to protect those in power. It’s what separates us from an autocracy.”
<>We are definitely living at the start of autocratic times. So far, the courts, the media, and grassroots organizing have protected America from Trump. For now.
Yates reminds us of one more tool in that arsenal.
And there is something else that separates us from an autocracy, and that’s truth. There is such a thing as objective truth. We can debate policies and issues, and we should. But those debates must be based on common facts rather than raw appeals to emotion and fear through polarizing rhetoric and fabrications.
Not only is there such a thing as objective truth, failing to tell the truth matters. We can’t control whether our public servants lie to us. But we can control whether we hold them accountable for those lies or whether, in either a state of exhaustion or to protect our own political objectives, we look the other way and normalize an indifference to truth.
Some responses via Twitter:
To comment on this article and other NCRM content, visit our Facebook page.
If you find NCRM valuable, would you please consider making a donation to support our independent journalism?
Â