The new acting attorney general is an Obama appointee from Virginia


The spotlight is hot on Dana Boente, the new acting attorney general of the United States.
Before Monday night, most people had never heard of Boente, 62, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. He was sworn in at 9 p.m. ET, a White House senior assistant press secretary told NBC News, just a few hours after former acting Attorney General Sally Yates told lawyers in the Department of Justice not to defend President Trump's executive order on immigration. Her firing was announced on Twitter by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, and the White House quickly went on a tear denouncing Yates, accusing her of being "very weak" on borders.
Boente has held various positions in the Department of Justice, and in 2012 was appointed U.S. Attorney in New Orleans. In 2013, he became acting U.S. Attorney in Alexandria, Virginia, and in 2015, former President Barack Obama appointed him to the job full-time. The White House released a statement it said was from Boente, which read: "I am honored to serve President Trump in this role until Sen. [Jeff] Sessions is confirmed. I will defend and enforce the laws of our country to ensure that our people and our nation are protected." Sessions, Trump's nominee for attorney general, is a conservative Republican senator from Alabama who has been accused of racism (allegations he says are baseless), was denied a federal judgeship in the 1980s, was one of Trump's earliest supporters during his campaign, and was the boss and mentor of Trump top policy adviser Stephen Miller and deputy chief of staff Rick Dearborn.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
5 unusually elusive cartoons about the Epstein files
Cartoons Artists take on Pam Bondi's vanishing desk, the Mar-a-Lago bathrooms, and more
-
Lemon and courgette carbonara recipe
The Week Recommends Zingy and fresh, this pasta is a summer treat
-
Corbynism returns: a new party on the Left
Talking Point Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's breakaway progressive party has already got off to a shaky start
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling