SEN. SESSIONS: "You have to watch out because people will be asking you to do things you just need to say 'no' about. Do you think the Attorney General has the responsibility to say no to the President if he asks for something that's improper? A lot of people have defended the [Loretta] Lynch nomination, for example, by saying, 'Well [Obama] appoints somebody who's going to execute his views. What's wrong with that?' But if the views the president wants to execute are unlawful, should the Attorney General or the Deputy Attorney General say no?"

SALLY YATES: "Senator, I believe the Attorney General or the Deputy Attorney General has an obligation to follow the law and the Constitution, and to give their independent legal advice to the president."

Sally Yates effectively assured Sen. Sessions that she would do what Sen. Sessions said would be required of her, were she to ever be confronted with what appeared by her to be an unlawful presidential directive. And that's exactly what she did yesterday as Acting Attorney General, by so publicly falling on her sword before the entire nation.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall in the Senate's Majority Caucus Room right now, given that today's previously scheduled floor vote to confirm Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III as President* Trump's Attorney General will occur in the immediate wake of Trump's summary dismissal of Ms. Yates last night. Senate Democrats will likely be ready to hoist the AG nominee by his own petard, thanks to the timely re-emergence of that particular video.