Atlanta’s former top federal prosecutor was confirmed Wednesday to the No. 2 post at the Department of Justice, in an overwhelming U.S. Senate vote.
Sally Quillian Yates will officially be the Deputy Attorney General, having served in an acting capacity for months. She was nominated by President Barack Obama nearly five months ago, but her confirmation was held up behind the contentious debate over Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Yates’ new boss.
And because the Department of Justice has been in the political crosshairs, Yates’ nomination brought some Republican blowback on the issue of immigration. The vote was 84-12.
Georgia Republican U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson and David Perdue both voted in favor of Yates.
Serving for a quarter-century as a federal prosecutor in Atlanta, Yates tried public corruption cases against the likes of former Democratic Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell and former Republican Georgia schools superintendent Linda Schrenko. She also prosecuted Atlanta Olympics bomber Eric Rudolph.
“She has been an equal opportunity prosecutor,” Isakson said in a brief floor speech. “She’s prosecuted Democrats, Republicans, independents, Olympic park bombers, anybody that violated the public trust, any abuse of power.”
Perdue, who was presiding over the debate in a typical freshman duty, issued a statement after the vote saying Yates would be different from Lynch. Both Georgia senators opposed Lynch in part for her refusal to condemn Obama’s recent actions on immigration.
“As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I carefully reviewed Ms. Yates’ record and testimony,” Perdue said. “I’m confident that she will bring an objective, apolitical approach to the Justice Department, which sorely needs it.”
U.S. Sen. Pat Leahy, D-Vt., the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, praised both Georgia senators for pushing Yates’ nomination, but offered contrasting comments on Lynch and Yates.
“We’ll have an Attorney General and a Deputy Attorney General whose backgrounds are very similar,” Leahy said. “Both of whom have shown their ability as law enforcement officers. Both of whom have been prosecuting attorneys. They have similar views, as we saw during the confirmation hearings, on all the major issues.”
Leahy also called Yates “an experienced and dedicated prosecutor with a well-deserved reputation,” and noted she has already briefed the president on DOJ issues in her acting role.
None of the senators voting “no” spoke out on the floor. They included Sens. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who holds the fifth-ranking post in Republican leadership; Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.; David Vitter, R-La.; and Tom Cotton, R-Ark.
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