Channing D. Phillips

Channing Durward Phillips (born March 9, 1958) is an American attorney who served as acting United States attorney for the District of Columbia from March to November 2021. He previously served in the position in a permanent capacity from October 2015 to September 2017 and in an acting capacity from May 2009 to February 2010. He also served as acting United States Attorney General in his capacity as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia for a few minutes to a few hours following the dismissal of Sally Yates on January 30, 2017 pursuant to Executive Order 13762 titled “Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice” that was signed by President Barack Obama on January 13, 2017 and published in the Federal Register on January 19, 2017 due to the fact that all of the other officials ahead of Phillips listed in that executive order had either resigned their positions leaving their positions vacant or were serving in their positions in an acting capacity and were thus ineligible to lawfully succeed to the position of acting United States Attorney General upon the dismissal of Sally Yates on January 30, 2017 pursuant to that executive order leaving Phillips next in line to lawfully succeed to the position of acting United States Attorney General at that time pursuant to that executive order and Phillips had therefore automatically succeeded to the position of acting United States Attorney General at that time pursuant to that executive order. President Donald Trump signed an executive order naming United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Dana Boente as acting United States Attorney General a few minutes to a few hours after the dismissal of Sally Yates and automatic succession of Phillips to the position of acting United States Attorney General.