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Acting attorney general is familiar with tough assignments

FILE - In tbhis Jan. 26, 2012 file photo, Dana Boente, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, speaks outside federal court in Alexandria, Va. Boente, the man appointed to serve as Acting Attorney General after his predecessor refused to defend President Trump's travel ban, has a reputation for providing steady leadership in difficult situations and was described by then-Attorney general Loretta Lynch as one of the Justice Department's "consummate utility players." (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) FILE - In tbhis Jan. 26, 2012 file photo, Dana Boente, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, speaks outside federal court in Alexandria, Va. Boente, the man appointed to serve as Acting Attorney General after his predecessor refused to defend President Trump's travel ban, has a reputation for providing steady leadership in difficult situations and was described by then-Attorney general Loretta Lynch as one of the Justice Department's "consummate utility players." (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

By Associated Press January 31, 2017 1 min read

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) – The Trump administration’s new acting attorney general has been described as a “consummate utility player” known for stepping in to lead offices thrown into turmoil.

Dana Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was appointed Monday. He replaces Sally Yates, an Obama administration holdover who was fired after refusing to defend the Trump administration’s travel ban.

Boente, a career prosecutor, says the ban is lawful and the Justice Department will defend it.

In 2012, Boente was tapped to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Orleans after a scandal there led to his predecessor’s resignation.

For all the drama associated with Boente’s current appointment, his time as attorney general may be brief: The Senate could vote this week to confirm Trump’s nominee for the post, Jeff Sessions.