Who is Sally Yates? Cornell rape-review pick was fired by Trump after refusing to defend travel ban

Cornell University has tapped Sally Yates, a former Obama administration deputy attorney general fired by President Donald Trump during his first term, to lead an independent review of the Ivy League school's handling of sexual assault allegations.

Yates' appointment comes as Cornell faces scrutiny over its response to an alleged gang rape at a fraternity house in October 2024.

As part of the independent review, Yates and her employer, King & Spalding , will have access to Cornell's internal documents, including case files, oversight records for Greek organizations, communications with law enforcement and disciplinary hearing records.

Yates brings decades of Justice Department experience to Cornell's review, along with a public profile shaped by her confrontation with Trump and subsequent involvement in the Russia investigation .

President Barack Obama nominated Yates as deputy attorney general in January 2015, and the Senate confirmed her four months later in an 84-12 vote.

She previously served as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, a position Obama appointed her to in 2010.

CORNELL PRESIDENT SAYS UNIVERSITY 'MUST DO BETTER' ON HANDLING OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS During the presidential transition, Trump's incoming administration asked Yates to remain as acting attorney general while his nominee, Jeff Sessions, awaited Senate confirmation.

But her tenure lasted just 10 days.

Trump fired Yates on Jan.

30, 2017, after she instructed Justice Department lawyers not to defend his executive order restricting travel and refugee admissions from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

"The acting Attorney General, Sally Yates, has betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States," the White House said in a statement announcing her firing.

Yates maintained that she was not convinced the directive was lawful.

"My responsibility is to ensure that the position of the Department of Justice is not only legally defensible, but is informed by our best view of what the law is after consideration of all the facts," Yates said in a letter .

"In addition, I am responsible for ensuring that the positions we take in court remain consistent with this institution’s solemn obligation to always seek justice and stand for what is right." Yates returned to the national spotlight in May 2017, testifying before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.