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{{Short description|American lawyer and politician (born 1942)}}
{{about|the past Attorney General of the United States|his son, the former Missouri Secretary of State|Jay Ashcroft|the Australian country & western musician|Johnny Ashcroft}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = John Ashcroft
|image = John Ashcroft.jpg
|caption = Official portrait, 2001
|office = 79th [[United States Attorney General]]
|president = [[George W. Bush]]
|deputy = [[Robert Mueller]] (acting)<br>[[Larry Thompson (lawyer)|Larry Thompson]]<br>[[James Comey]]
|term_start = February 2, 2001
|term_end = February 3, 2005
|predecessor = [[Janet Reno]]
|successor = [[Alberto Gonzales]]
|jr/sr1 = United States Senator
|state1 = [[Missouri]]
|term_start1 = January 3, 1995
|term_end1 = January 3, 2001
|predecessor1 = [[John Danforth]]
|successor1 = [[Mel Carnahan]] (elect)<br>[[Jean Carnahan]]
|office2 = Chair of the [[National Governors Association]]
|term_start2 = August 20, 1991
|term_end2 = August 4, 1992
|predecessor2 = [[Booth Gardner]]
|successor2 = [[Roy Romer]]
|order3 = 50th [[List of governors of Missouri|Governor of Missouri]]
|lieutenant3 = [[Harriet Woods]]<br>[[Mel Carnahan]]
|term_start3 = January 14, 1985
|term_end3 = January 11, 1993
|predecessor3 = [[Kit Bond]]
|successor3 = [[Mel Carnahan]]
|office4 = 38th [[Missouri Attorney General|Attorney General of Missouri]]
|governor4 = [[Joseph P. Teasdale|Joseph Teasdale]]<br>[[Kit Bond]]
|term_start4 = December 27, 1976
|term_end4 = January 14, 1985
|predecessor4 = [[John Danforth]]
|successor4 = [[William L. Webster]]
|office5 = 29th [[State Auditor of Missouri|Auditor of Missouri]]
|governor5 = [[Kit Bond]]
|term_start5 = January 8, 1973
|term_end5 = January 14, 1975
|predecessor5 = [[Kit Bond]]
|successor5 = [[George W. Lehr]]
|birth_name = John David Ashcroft
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1942|5|9}}
|birth_place = [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], U.S.
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|spouse = {{marriage|Janet Ashcroft|1967}}
|children = 3, including [[Jay Ashcroft|Jay]]
|education = [[Yale University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[University of Chicago]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]])
|signature = Handwritten signature of John Ashcroft (Attorney General of the United States of America), presumably dated 9-13 July 2002.jpg
|signature_alt = Autograph of John Ashcroft, in blue ink.
|module = {{Listen |pos=center |embed=yes |filename=Attorney General John Ashcroft Testifies on Domestic Security after September 11.ogg |title=Ashcroft's voice |type=speech |description=Ashcroft testifies before the [[Senate Judiciary Committee]] on domestic intelligence and counterterrorism reforms after [[September 11 attacks|9/11]].<br>Recorded July 25, 2002}}
}}
'''John David Ashcroft''' (born May 9, 1942) is an American lawyer, [[Lobbying|lobbyist]], and former politician who served as the 79th [[United States attorney general]] under [[President George W. Bush]] from 2001 to 2005. During his tenure he authorized the use of torture. A [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] from [[Missouri]], Ashcroft represented the state in the [[United States Senate]] from 1995 to 2001, and held statewide office as the 29th [[State Auditor of Missouri|auditor]] (1973–1975), 38th [[Missouri Attorney General|attorney general]] (1976–1985), and 50th [[governor of Missouri]] (1985–1993). He later founded [[The Ashcroft Group]], a Washington D.C. lobbying firm.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/17/politics/same-washington-different-office.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |first=Leslie |last=Wayne |title=Same Washington, Different Office |date=March 17, 2006 |access-date=February 22, 2019 }}</ref>
Ashcroft graduated from [[Hillcrest High School (Springfield, Missouri)|Hillcrest High School]] in 1960 before receiving a [[Bachelor of Arts]] from [[Yale College]] and a [[Juris Doctor|J.D.]] from the [[University of Chicago Law School]]. After unsuccessfully running for the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]], he was elected Missouri State Auditor in 1974. He then served two consecutive terms as Missouri Attorney General and as Missouri Governor (a historical first for a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidate in the state). He is the only Republican to serve two full consecutive terms as governor to date. He also served one term as a [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] from Missouri until losing a race for a second term in [[2000 United States Senate election in Missouri|2000]]. Ashcroft had early appointments in Missouri state government and was mentored by [[John Danforth]]. He has written several books about politics and [[ethics]].
After [[George W. Bush]] was [[2000 United States Presidential election|elected president]] in 2000, he selected Ashcroft to serve as U.S. Attorney General. As Attorney General, Ashcroft was a key supporter of the [[USA Patriot Act]] following the [[September 11 attacks]] and the use of [[torture]] on suspected terrorists. Ashcroft stepped down as Attorney General in February 2005 and was replaced by [[Alberto Gonzales]]. Since 2011, Ashcroft sits on the board of directors for the [[private military company]] [[Academi]] (formerly [[Blackwater (company)|Blackwater]]) and is a professor at the [[Regent University School of Law]], a conservative Christian institution affiliated with the late [[Televangelism|televangelist]] [[Pat Robertson]]; he has also been a member of the [[Federalist Society]]. His son, [[Jay Ashcroft]], is also a politician who served as [[List of Missouri secretaries of state|Secretary of State of Missouri]] from 2017 to 2025 before a [[2024 Missouri gubernatorial election|failed bid for governor]] in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-06 |title=Jay Ashcroft is running for Missouri governor, setting up competitive GOP primary |url=https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2023-04-06/jay-ashcroft-is-running-for-missouri-governor-setting-up-competitive-gop-primary |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR |language=en}}</ref>
==Early life==
John David Ashcroft was born in [[Chicago]] on May 9, 1942, the son of homemaker Grace P. (née Larsen) and minister James Robert Ashcroft. His maternal grandparents were Norwegian,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wargs.com/political/ashcroft.html |title=Ancestry of John Ashcroft |publisher=Wargs.com |access-date=May 28, 2011 |first=William Addams |last=Reitwiesner |author-link=William Addams Reitwiesner }}</ref> while his paternal grandfather was Irish.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Toobin|first=Jeffrey|title=Ashcroft's Ascent|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/04/15/ashcrofts-ascent|access-date=July 22, 2020|magazine=The New Yorker|language=en-us}}</ref> He grew up in [[Willard, Missouri]], where his father was a minister in an [[Assemblies of God USA|Assemblies of God]] congregation in nearby [[Springfield, Missouri|Springfield]], served as president of [[Evangel University]] (1958–1974), and jointly as President of [[Central Bible College]] (1958–1963). Ashcroft graduated from [[Hillcrest High School (Springfield, Missouri)|Hillcrest High School]] in 1960.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ksmu.org/post/springfield-public-schools-hall-fame-has-three-inductees#stream/0|title = Springfield Public Schools Hall of Fame has Three Inductees|date = October 29, 2010}}</ref> He attended [[Yale University]], where he was a member of the [[St. Elmo (secret society)|St. Elmo Society]], graduating in 1964. He received a [[Juris Doctor]] from the [[University of Chicago Law School]] in 1967.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=A000356 |title=Ashcroft, John David – Biographical Information |publisher=Bioguide.congress.gov |access-date=May 28, 2011}}</ref> After law school, he briefly taught Business Law and worked as an administrator at [[Southwest Missouri State University]]. During the [[Vietnam War]], he was not drafted because he received six student [[Selective Service System#Classifications|draft deferments]] and one occupational deferment due to his teaching work.<ref>{{cite news |first=Tom |last=Robbins |url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2004/08/17/the-sunshine-patriots/ |title=The Sunshine Patriots |work=[[The Village Voice]] |date=August 17, 2004 |access-date=February 22, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/27/opinion/where-is-the-shame.html |first=Bob |last=Herbert |author-link=Bob Herbert |title=Where Is The Shame? |date=August 27, 2004 |access-date=August 20, 2018 }}</ref>
==Missouri political career==
===State Auditor (1973–1975)===
In 1972, Ashcroft ran for a [[United States Congress|congressional]] seat in southwest Missouri in the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Partisan primary|primary election]], narrowly losing to [[Gene Taylor (Missouri)|Gene Taylor]]. After the primary, Missouri Governor [[Kit Bond]] appointed Ashcroft to the office of State Auditor, which Bond had vacated when he became governor.
In 1974, Ashcroft was narrowly defeated for election to that post by [[Jackson County, Missouri|Jackson County]] [[List of county executives of Jackson County, Missouri|Executive]] [[George W. Lehr]]. Lehr had argued that Ashcroft, who is not an accountant, was not qualified to be the State Auditor.
===Attorney General of Missouri (1976–1985)===
[[File:Reagan Contact Sheet C20739 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Ashcroft with [[President of the United States|President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1984]]
[[Missouri Attorney General]] [[John Danforth]], who was then in his second term, hired Ashcroft as an assistant state attorney general. During his service, Ashcroft shared an office with future [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] [[List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States|Justice]] [[Clarence Thomas]] (and, in 2001, Justice Thomas administered Ashcroft's [[oath of office]] as U.S. attorney general).
In 1976, Danforth retired from the state attorney general post to run for the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]], and Ashcroft ran to replace him. He was unopposed in the Republican primary<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-missouri-attorne/137557885/ Missouri Attorney General Race Gets Little Attention, Lacks Controversy]. ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch''. August 1, 1976.</ref> and defeated Democrat James Baker in the general election.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-capital-news-ashcroft-points-t/137558085/ Ashcroft points to ballot place]. ''The Daily Capital News''. November 4, 1976.</ref> He was scheduled to be sworn in on January 10, 1977, but Danforth resigned from his post early ahead of his swearing in to the U.S. Senate, thus Ashcroft became attorney general on December 27, 1976.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-capital-news-changing-of-the-g/137558522/ Changing of the guard begins with Ashcroft]. ''The Daily Capital News''. December 28, 1976.</ref> In 1980, Ashcroft was re-elected with 64.5 percent of the vote, winning 96 of Missouri's 114 counties.<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book |page=73 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o4OZ-Z790DEC&pg=PA73 |editor1-first=Thad L. |editor1-last=Beyle |first1=Dean L. |last1=Yarwood |first2=Richard J. |last2=Hardy |contribution=The Norm of Standing Aside: Gubernatorial Transition in Missouri in 1984 |title=Gubernatorial Transitions: The 1983 and 1984 Elections |publisher=Duke University Press |year=1989 |isbn=0-8223-0858-4 }}</ref>
In 1983, Ashcroft wrote the leading ''[[amicus curiae]]'' brief in the U.S. Supreme Court Case ''[[Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc.]]'', supporting the use of video cassette recorders for time shifting of television programs.<ref>{{cite court |litigants=Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. |vol=464 |reporter=U.S. |opinion=417 |court=U.S. |date=1984 |url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=5876335373788447272&hl=en&as_sdt=20000006&as_vis=1 |access-date=March 20, 2015}}</ref>
===Governor of Missouri (1985–1993)===
[[File:John Ashcroft official photo as Governor.jpg|thumb|left|Ashcroft's official portrait as governor]]
Ashcroft was elected governor in [[1984 Missouri gubernatorial election|1984]] and re-elected in [[1988 Missouri gubernatorial election|1988]], becoming the first Republican in Missouri history elected to two consecutive terms.
[[File:Mrs. Bush and Missouri Governor John Ashcroft attend a Parents as Teachers parent-child group at the... - NARA - 186437.jpg|thumb|right|Missouri Governor John Ashcroft and First Lady [[Barbara Bush]] with a "Parents as Teachers" group at the [[Greater St. Louis]] [[Ferguson-Florissant School District]] in October 1991. Mrs. Bush (in rocking chair) is reading ''[[Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?|Brown Bear, Brown Bear]]'' to the children.]]
In 1984, his opponent was the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[Lieutenant Governor of Missouri|Lieutenant Governor]] [[Ken Rothman]]. The campaign was so negative on both sides that a reporter described the contest as "two alley cats [scrapping] over truth in advertising". In his campaign ads, Ashcroft showed the contrast between his rural base and the urban supporters of his opponent from [[St. Louis]]. Democrats did not close ranks on primary night. The defeated candidate [[Mel Carnahan]] endorsed Rothman. In the end, Ashcroft won 57 percent of the vote and carried 106 counties—then the largest Republican gubernatorial victory in Missouri history.<ref name="books.google.com"/>
In 1988, Ashcroft won by a larger margin over his Democratic opponent, [[Betty Cooper Hearnes]], the wife of the former governor [[Warren Hearnes]]. Ashcroft received 64 percent of the vote in the general election—the largest landslide for governor in Missouri history since the U.S. Civil War.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/biographicaldire0000mull |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/biographicaldire0000mull/page/217 217] |first=Marie Marmo |last=Mullaney |title=Biographical directory of the governors of the United States, 1988–1994 |publisher=Greenwood Press |date=1994 |isbn=0-313-28312-5 }}</ref>
During his second term, Ashcroft served as chairman of the [[National Governors Association]] (1991–92).
===U.S. Senator from Missouri (1995–2001)===
[[File:Senator John Ashcroft3.jpg|thumb|Ashcroft's official portrait as U.S. Senator]]
In [[1994 United States Senate election in Missouri|1994]], Ashcroft was elected to the U.S. Senate from Missouri, again succeeding [[John Danforth]], who retired from the position. Ashcroft won 59.8% of the vote against Democratic Congressman [[Alan Wheat]]. As Senator:
* He opposed the [[Clinton Administration]]'s [[Clipper chip|Clipper]] encryption restrictions, arguing in favor of the individual's right to encrypt messages and export encryption software.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Madsen |first=Wayne |date=2001-02-01 |title=US Government's Stash Of Old Crypto Keys — Ashcroft And Privacy |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361372301020103 |journal=Computer Fraud & Security |volume=2001 |issue=2 |pages=5 |doi=10.1016/S1361-3723(01)02010-3 |issn=1361-3723|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* In 1999, as chair of the Senate's subcommittee on patents, he helped extend patents for several drugs, notably the allergy medication [[Claritin]], to prevent the marketing of less-expensive [[generic drug|generics]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Bruce |last=Shapiro |url=https://www.salon.com/2001/01/16/hearings/ |title=Can John Ashcroft be stopped? |work=[[Salon.com]] |date=January 16, 2001 |access-date=May 28, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090523090051/http://archive.salon.com/politics/feature/2001/01/16/hearings/print.html |archive-date=May 23, 2009}}</ref>
* On March 30, 2000, with Senator [[Russ Feingold]], Ashcroft convened the only Senate hearing on [[racial profiling]]. He said the practice was unconstitutional and that he supported legislation requiring police to keep statistics on their actions.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}
In 1998, Ashcroft briefly considered running for U.S. president, but, on January 5, 1999, he decided that he would seek re-election to his Senate seat in the [[2000 United States Senate election in Missouri|2000 election]] and not run for president.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/01/05/president.2000/ashcroft/ |title=Ashcroft decides not to jump into 2000 race |publisher=Cnn.com |date=January 5, 1999 |access-date=May 28, 2011}}</ref>
[[File:Senator John Ashcroft Meets With Missouri Law Enforcement to Discuss the Meth Crisis.jpg|thumb|Ashcroft with Missouri law enforcement talking about [[Methamphetamine in the United States|Methamphetamine]] in 2000]]
In the Republican primary, Ashcroft defeated [[Marc Perkel]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/KC/lib00143,0EAF48A93360AB34.html |title=Ashcroft, Carnahan take sizable leads |work=[[The Kansas City Star]] |via=NewsBank |date=August 9, 2000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419173357/https://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=KC&p_theme=kc&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF48A93360AB34&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |archive-date=April 19, 2019 |quote=With more than 60 percent of the precincts reporting, Ashcroft, a Republican, had captured 90 percent of the vote, to 10 percent for [[Marc Perkel]] of Springfield. Carnahan, a Democrat, had 79 percent of the vote to 21 percent for Ronald Wagganer of St. Louis.}}</ref> In the general election, Ashcroft faced a challenge from Governor [[Mel Carnahan]].
In the midst of a tight race, Carnahan died in an airplane crash three weeks prior to the election. Ashcroft suspended all campaigning after the plane crash. Because of Missouri state election laws and the short time to election, Carnahan's name remained on the ballot. Lieutenant Governor [[Roger B. Wilson]] became governor upon Carnahan's death. Wilson said that should Carnahan be elected, he would appoint his widow, [[Jean Carnahan]], to serve in her husband's place. Mrs. Carnahan stated that, in accordance with her late husband's goal, she would serve in the Senate if voters elected his name. Following these developments, Ashcroft resumed campaigning.<ref>{{Cite news|title=In Missouri, Campaign Flourishes After the Death of the Candidate |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/31/us/2000-campaign-missouri-senate-race-missouri-campaign-flourishes-after-death.html?ref=jeancarnahan|date=October 31, 2000|first=Neil A.|last=Lewis|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=October 19, 2011}}</ref>
Carnahan won the election 51% to 49%. No politician had ever posthumously won election to the U.S. Senate, although voters had on at least three occasions chosen deceased candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/11/07/senate.missouri/ |title=Republican senator loses to dead rival in Missouri |publisher=CNN.com |date=August 30, 2000 |access-date=June 12, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418111431/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/11/07/senate.missouri/ |archive-date=April 18, 2012}}</ref> Ashcroft remains the first and so far only U.S. Senator to have been defeated for re-election by a deceased person.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/10/01/five-people-have-won-election-to-congress-despite-being-dead/|title=Five people have won election to Congress, despite being dead|first=Philip |last=Bump |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=October 1, 2014 |access-date=February 22, 2019 }}</ref>
==United States Attorney General==
[[File:President George W. Bush meets with Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2003.jpg|thumb|[[President of the United States|President]] [[George W. Bush]] meets with [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] John Ashcroft in the Oval Office on March 11, 2003]]
[[File:John Ashcroft '05.jpg|thumb|right|Ashcroft in 2005]]
In December 2000, following his Senatorial defeat, Ashcroft was chosen for the position of U.S. attorney general by president-elect [[George W. Bush]]. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 58 to 42, with most [[U.S. Democratic Party|Democratic]] senators voting against him, citing his prior opposition to using [[desegregation busing|busing]] to achieve [[school integration in the United States|school desegregation]] and [[Anti-abortion movement|opposition to abortion]]. At the time of his appointment, he was known to be a member of the [[Federalist Society]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/04/18/federalist-society-becomes-a-force-in-washington/9eb2f353-2f3c-4724-ba5c-094736a9a434 |title=Federalist Society Becomes a Force in Washington |last=Edsall |first=Thomas B. |date=April 18, 2001 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en-US |access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref>
In May 2001, the FBI revealed that they had misplaced thousands of documents related to the investigation of the [[Oklahoma City bombing]]. Ashcroft granted a 30-day stay of execution for [[Timothy McVeigh]], the man sentenced to death for the bombing.
In July 2001, Ashcroft began flying exclusively by private jet. When questioned about this decision, the Justice Department explained that this course of action had been recommended based on a "threat assessment" made by the FBI. Neither the Bureau, nor the Justice Department would identify the specific nature of the threat, who made it, or when it happened. The CIA were unaware of any specific threats against Cabinet members. At the time, Ashcroft was the only Cabinet appointee who traveled on a private jet, excluding the special cases of Interior and Energy who have responsibilities which require chartered jets.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ashcroft-flying-high/ | title=Ashcroft Flying High - CBS News | website=[[CBS News]] | date=July 26, 2001 }}</ref>
After the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] in the United States, Ashcroft was a key administration supporter of passage of the [[USA PATRIOT Act]]. One of its provisions, Section 215, allows the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) to apply for an order from the [[Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court]] to require production of "any tangible thing" for an investigation. This provision was criticized by citizen and professional groups concerned about violations of privacy. Ashcroft referred to the [[American Library Association]]'s opposition to Section 215 as "hysteria" in two separate speeches given in September 2003.<ref>{{cite web | author = Ashcroft, John & DOJ Staff | date = September 15, 2003 | title = Prepared Remarks of Attorney General John Ashcroft: The Proven Tactics in the Fight against Crime | ___location = Washington, D.C. | url = https://www.justice.gov/archive/ag/speeches/2003/091503nationalrestaurant.htm | publisher = Justice.gov |access-date=May 28, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author = Ashcroft, John & DOJ Staff | date = September 18, 2003 | title = Remarks of Attorney General John Ashcroft: Protecting Life and Liberty | ___location = Memphis, TN | url=https://www.justice.gov/archive/ag/speeches/2003/091803memphisremarks.htm |publisher=Justice.gov |access-date=May 28, 2011}}</ref> While Attorney General, Ashcroft consistently denied that the FBI or any other law enforcement agency had used the Patriot Act to obtain library circulation records or those of retail sales. According to the sworn testimony of two FBI agents interviewed by the [[9/11 Commission]], he ignored warnings of an imminent al-Qaida attack.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Myers|first1=Lisa|title=Did Ashcroft brush off terror warnings?|url=https://msnbc.msn.com/id/5271234/ |access-date=June 21, 2025|publisher=NBC News |date=June 22, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040627015211/https://msnbc.msn.com/id/5271234/|archive-date=June 27, 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In January 2002, the partially nude female statue of the ''[[Spirit of Justice]]'' in the [[Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building]], where Ashcroft held press conferences, was covered with blue curtains.<ref name=poetic /> Department officials long insisted that the curtains were put up to improve the room's use as a television backdrop and that Ashcroft had nothing to do with it.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1788845.stm |title=Curtains for semi-nude justice statue |publisher=BBC News |date=January 29, 2002 |access-date=May 28, 2011}}</ref> Ashcroft's successor, [[Alberto Gonzales]], removed the curtains in June 2005.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20050625/statue25/spirit-of-justice-statue-exposed-in-all-her-glory |title='Spirit of Justice' statue exposed in all her glory |author=Sherman, Mark |agency=Associated Press |date=June 25, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author = USA Today Staff |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-06-24-doj-statue_x.htm |access-date=February 22, 2019 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=USA Today |title=Drapes removed from Justice Department statue |date=June 24, 2005}}</ref> Ashcroft also held daily prayer meetings.<ref name=poetic />
In July 2002, Ashcroft proposed the creation of [[Operation TIPS]], a domestic program in which workers and government employees would inform law enforcement agencies about suspicious behavior they encounter while performing their duties. The program was widely criticized from the beginning, with critics deriding the program as essentially a domestic informant network along the lines of the East German [[Stasi]] or the Soviet [[KGB]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://archive.commondreams.org/views02/0717-01.htm |title=Ashcroft vs. Americans |date=August 4, 2007 |work=[[Common Dreams]] |access-date=August 17, 2018 |author=Editorial Board |archive-date=August 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817144331/https://archive.commondreams.org/views02/0717-01.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://reason.com/archives/2002/07/16/an-american-stasi |title=An American Stasi |first=Brian |last=Doherty |author-link=Brian Doherty (journalist) |date=July 16, 2002 |work=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]] |access-date=August 17, 2018 }}</ref> and an encroachment upon the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First]] and [[Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourth]] amendments. The [[United States Postal Service]] refused to be a party to it. Ashcroft defended the program as a necessary component of the ongoing [[War on Terrorism]], but the proposal was eventually abandoned.<ref>{{cite book |author=Giroux HA |title=The Abandoned Generation: Democracy beyond the Culture of Fear |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |___location=Basingstoke |year=2003 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Eo8-HxIJ3SgC&pg=PA7 |pages=7 |isbn=1-4039-6138-7|access-date=August 19, 2018}}</ref>
Ashcroft proposed a draft of the [[Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003]], legislation to expand the powers of the U.S. government to fight crime and terrorism, while simultaneously eliminating or curtailing judicial review of these powers for incidents related to domestic terrorism.<ref>{{cite book |author=Robert P. Abele |title=A user's guide to the USA Patriot Act and beyond |publisher=University Press of America |___location=Washington, D.C. |year=2005 |isbn=0-7618-3058-8}}</ref> The bill was leaked and posted to the Internet on February 7, 2003.
On May 26, 2004, Ashcroft held a news conference at which he said that intelligence from multiple sources indicated that the terrorist organization, [[al Qaeda]], intended to attack the United States in the coming months.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2004/US/05/26/terror.threat/ |first1=Kelli |last1=Arena |first2=Kevin |last2=Bohn |first3=Terry |last3=Frieden |first4=Jeanne |last4=Meserve |first5=Barbara |last5=Starr |title=Ashcroft: Al Qaeda intends to attack U.S. |publisher=CNN |date=May 26, 2004 |access-date=March 14, 2008 }}</ref> Critics suggested he was trying to distract attention from a drop in the approval ratings of President Bush, who was campaigning for re-election.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mintz |first1=John |last2=Allen |first2=Mike |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8612-2004Jun26.html |title=Homeland Security, a Politicized Issue: To Suspicious Candidates, the Threat of Attack Is No Longer Above the Fray |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=June 27, 2004 |access-date=August 17, 2018 }}</ref>
Groups supporting individual gun ownership praised Ashcroft's support through DOJ for the [[Second Amendment to the United States Constitution|Second Amendment]]. He said specifically, "the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to keep and bear arms," expressing the position that the Second Amendment protects an individual right, unrelated to militia service.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nraila.org/images/ashcroft.pdf |title=Letter to National Rifle Association, May 17, 2001 |access-date=April 7, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080413212123/http://www.nraila.org/images/ashcroft.pdf |archive-date=April 13, 2008 }}</ref>
In March 2004, the Justice Department under Ashcroft ruled President Bush's domestic intelligence program illegal.<ref name=EggenKaneWP070516>{{Cite news|author1=Eggen, Dan |author2=Kane, Paul | date=May 16, 2007|title=Gonzales Hospital Episode Detailed | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/15/AR2007051500864.html | access-date=January 30, 2020 | issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Shortly afterward, Ashcroft was hospitalized with acute gallstone [[pancreatitis]].<ref name=EggenKaneWP070516/><!--INFORMATION ON PAGE 2.--> [[White House Counsel]] [[Alberto Gonzales]] and [[Chief of Staff]] [[Andrew Card Jr.]] went to [[President's Surveillance Program#Ashcroft hospital bedside meeting|Ashcroft's bedside]] in the hospital intensive-care unit, to persuade the incapacitated Ashcroft to sign a document to reauthorize the program.<ref name=EggenKaneWP070516/> Acting Attorney General [[James Comey]] alerted FBI Director [[Robert Mueller III]] of this plan, and rushed to the hospital, arriving ahead of Gonzales and Card Jr. Ashcroft, "summoning the strength to lift his head and speak", refused to sign.<ref name=EggenKaneWP070516/><ref>{{cite news | author = Moyers, Bill & Goldsmith, Jack | url=https://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/09072007/transcript2.html |title=Bill Moyers talks with Jack Goldsmith |work=[[Bill Moyers Journal]] | format = transcript | date=September 7, 2007 }}</ref><ref name="WashingtonPost">{{cite news |url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/achenblog/2007/05/waterboarding_ashcroft.html |author=Auchenbach, Joel |title=Waterboarding Ashcroft |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=May 16, 2007 |access-date=May 23, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907205734/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/achenblog/2007/05/waterboarding_ashcroft.html |archive-date=September 7, 2008}}</ref> Attempts to reauthorize the program were ended by President Bush when Ashcroft, Comey and Mueller threatened to resign.<ref name=EggenKaneWP070516/>
Following accounts of the [[Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse]] scandal in Iraq, one of the [[torture memos]] was leaked to the press in June 2004. [[Jack Goldsmith]], then head of the [[Office of Legal Counsel]], had already withdrawn the [[John Yoo|Yoo]] memos and advised agencies not to rely on them. After Goldsmith chose to resign because of his objections, Ashcroft issued a one paragraph opinion re-authorizing the use of [[torture]].<ref name = "Ashcroft memo">{{cite news|author = Savage, Charlie | title= Reaction to C.I.A. Torture Report—1:58 P.M. The One-Paragraph Torture Memo |url=https://news.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/09/cia-torture-report/#the-one-paragraph-torture-memo-2 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 9, 2014 |access-date=December 9, 2014 |archive-date=April 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413221849/https://news.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/09/cia-torture-report/ |quote=After senior administration officials gave permission to the C.I.A. to use all previously approved 'enhanced' interrogation techniques except waterboarding, Mr. Ashcroft sent a one-paragraph memo to the agency stating that it would be lawful to use those techniques on Mr. Gul. This memo, the report said, simply stated that conclusion and contained no legal analysis to support its claim.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92642055 |title=Ashcroft Defends Actions On Torture Memos
|publisher=[[NPR]] |date=July 17, 2008 |access-date=May 27, 2018 |first=Ari |last=Shapiro |author-link=Ari Shapiro}}</ref>
Ashcroft pushed his U.S. attorneys to pursue voter fraud cases. However, the U.S. attorneys struggled to find any deliberate voter fraud schemes, only finding individuals who made mistakes on forms or misunderstood whether they were eligible to vote.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rutenberg |first=Jim |date=September 30, 2020 |title=How Trump's 'Voter Fraud' Lie Is Disenfranchising Americans |language=en-US|work=The New York Times Magazine |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/magazine/trump-voter-fraud.html |access-date=September 30, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
Following George W. Bush's re-election, Ashcroft resigned,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/11/09/cabinet.resignations/index.html |title=Ashcroft, Evans resign from Cabinet |publisher=CNN |date=November 9, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081027164557/http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/11/09/cabinet.resignations/index.html |first=John |last=King |archive-date=October 27, 2008 }}</ref> which took effect on February 3, 2005, after the Senate confirmed White House Counsel [[Alberto Gonzales]] as the next attorney general.<ref>{{cite web| author = Lewis, Libby | url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4485080 |title=Senate Confirms Gonzales as Attorney General |publisher=NPR |date= February 3, 2005 |access-date=May 28, 2011}}</ref> Ashcroft said in his hand-written resignation letter, dated November 2, "The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved."<ref>{{cite web |author=Ashcroft, John |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6446686 |title=Ashcroft Resignation Letter |publisher=[[NBC News]] |date=November 9, 2004 |access-date=May 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305151639/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6446686 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Consultant and lobbyist==
In May 2005, Ashcroft laid the groundwork for a strategic consulting firm, The Ashcroft Group, LLC.<ref>{{cite web|author=Michael Sullivan |url=http://www.ashcroftgroupllc.com |title=The Ashcroft Group, LLC website |publisher=Ashcroftgroupllc.com |access-date=May 28, 2011}}</ref> He started operation in the fall of 2005 and as of March 2006 had twenty-one clients, turning down two for every one accepted.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news|last=Wayne |first=Leslie |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/17/politics/same-washington-different-office.html |title=Same Washington, Different Office; John Ashcroft Sets Up Shop As Well-Connected Lobbyist |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 17, 2006 |access-date=May 28, 2011}}</ref> In 2005 year-end filings, Ashcroft's firm reported collecting $269,000, including $220,000 from [[Oracle Corporation]], which won [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] approval of a multibillion-dollar acquisition less than a month after hiring Ashcroft. The year-end filing represented, in some cases, only initial payments.{{Citation needed|date=March 2008}}
According to government filings, Oracle is one of five Ashcroft Group clients that seek help in selling data or software with security applications. Another client, [[Israel Aircraft Industries International]], is competing with Seattle's [[Boeing Company]] to sell the government of South Korea a billion dollar airborne radar system.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/11/oracle_ashcroft/ |title=Oracle helps Ashcroft board the terror gravy train |first=Andrew |last=Orlowski |date=January 11, 2006 |work=[[The Register]] |access-date=August 19, 2018 }}</ref>
In March 2006, Ashcroft positioned himself as an "anti-[[Jack Abramoff|Abramoff]]". In an hour-long interview, Ashcroft used the word ''integrity'' scores of times.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> In May 2006, based on conversations with members of Congress, key aides and lobbyists, ''The Hill'' magazine listed Ashcroft as one of the top 50 "hired guns" (lobbyists) that [[K Street (Washington, D.C.)|K Street]] had to offer.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/050306/guns.html |title=The sharpest shooters on K Street |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |date=May 3, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061030014957/http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/050306/guns.html |archive-date=October 30, 2006 |access-date=August 17, 2018}}</ref>
By August 2006, Ashcroft's firm reportedly had 30 clients, many of which made products or technology aimed at [[homeland security]]. About a third of its client list were not disclosed on grounds of confidentiality. The firm also had equity stakes in eight client companies. It reportedly received $1.4 million in lobbying fees in the six months preceding August 2006, a small fraction of its total earnings.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/11/AR2006081101846.html |first=Ellen |last=Nakashima |title=Ashcroft Finds Private-Sector Niche |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |page=2 |date=August 12, 2006 |access-date=February 22, 2019 }}</ref>
After the proposed merger of [[Sirius Satellite Radio]] Inc. and [[XM Satellite Radio]] Holdings Inc., Ashcroft offered the firm his consulting services, according to a spokesman for XM.<ref>{{cite news|last=Boles|first=Corey|title=Ashcroft Offered His Services to XM Before Being Hired by NAB, XM Says|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB117297131783726186|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=July 26, 2007|date=March 3, 2007}}</ref> The spokesman said XM declined Ashcroft's offer. Ashcroft was subsequently hired by the [[National Association of Broadcasters]], which is strongly opposed to the merger.
In 2011, Ashcroft became an "independent director" on the board of Xe Services (now [[Academi]]), the controversial [[private military company]] formerly known as [[Blackwater (company)|Blackwater]] ([[Nisour Square massacre]]), which faced scores of charges related to weapons trafficking, unlawful force, and corruption,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2011/05/former_ag_john_ashcroft_joins.html |title=Former AG John Ashcroft joins company once known as Blackwater |agency=Associated Press |date=May 4, 2011 |website=[[OregonLive.com]] |access-date=January 31, 2020 }}</ref> and had named Ted Wright as CEO in May 2011.<ref>{{cite news|title=Company Once Known as Blackwater Names New CEO|url=http://archive.boston.com/business/articles/2011/06/01/company_once_known_as_blackwater_names_new_ceo/ |date=June 1, 2011 |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=[[Boston.com]] |access-date=May 29, 2019}}</ref> Wright hired a new governance chief to oversee ethical and legal compliance and established a new board composed of former government officials, including former White House counsel [[Jack Quinn (lawyer)|Jack Quinn]] and Ashcroft.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hodge|first=Nathan|title=Contractor Tries to Shed Blackwater Past |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203405504576599123967308168|work=wsj.com|access-date=September 30, 2011|date=September 29, 2011}}</ref> In December 2011, Xe Services rebranded to Academi to convey a more "boring" image.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lX9ZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT432 |page=432 |title = Mercenaries: A Guide to Private Armies and Private Military Companies|isbn = 9781483364674|last1 = Axelrod|first1 = Alan|date = December 27, 2013|publisher=CQ Press }}</ref><ref name="BBC News December 12, 2011">{{cite news|title=Former Blackwater firm renamed again|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16149971|access-date=December 12, 2011|newspaper=[[BBC News]]|date=December 12, 2011}}</ref><ref name="boardofdirectors">{{cite web |url=http://www.academi.com/pages/about-us/board-of-directors/john-ashcroft |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120109085956/http://www.academi.com/pages/about-us/board-of-directors/john-ashcroft |archive-date=January 9, 2012 |website=academi.com |date=n.d. |title=Academi Board of Directors: John Ashcroft |access-date=August 17, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://constellis.com/who-we-are/leadership |title=Leadership |work=[[Constellis]] |access-date=May 29, 2019 }}</ref>
The firm also has a law firm under its umbrella, called the Ashcroft Law Firm.<ref>{{cite web|title=John Ashcroft |url=http://ashcroftwhistleblowerlaw.com/john_ashcroft/ |website=Ashcroft Law Firm|access-date=October 14, 2016}}</ref> In December 2014, the law firm was hired by convicted Russian arms trafficker [[Viktor Bout]] to overturn his 2011 conviction.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-crime-bout-idUSKCN0JJ20H20141205 |first=Jonathan |last=Stempel |title=Arms dealer Bout seeks new trial, hires Ashcroft law firm|date=December 5, 2014|newspaper=Reuters|access-date=April 1, 2016}}</ref>
In June 2017, the Ashcroft Law firm was hired by the government of [[Qatar]] to carry out a compliance and regulatory review of Qatar's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework, to help challenge accusations of [[Qatar and state-sponsored terrorism|supporting terrorism]] by its neighbors, following [[2017 Qatar diplomatic crisis|a regional blockade]], as well as claims by U.S. President [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Qatar, accused of supporting terrorism, hires ex-U.S. attorney general |first1=Doina |last1=Chiacu |first2=Ginger |last2=Gibson |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gulf-qatar-ashcroft-idUSKBN1910T6 |newspaper=Reuters |access-date=June 10, 2017|date=June 10, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Qatar blockade: Iran sends five planeloads of food - BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-40237721|access-date=June 11, 2017|work=BBC News|date=June 11, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Qatar Hires Former U.S. Attorney General To Rebut Terrorism Allegations|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/qatar-hires-lawyer-boycott-terrorism-allegations-saudis-trump/28539933.html |newspaper=Radiofreeeurope/Radioliberty|access-date=June 10, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Singled Out by Trump, Qatar Hires Former Top U.S. Law Man |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-10/singled-out-by-trump-qatar-hires-former-top-law-man-to-lobby |first=Bill |last=Allison |date=June 10, 2017 |website=BloombergPolitics|access-date=June 10, 2017}}</ref>
In June 2018, Ashcroft was reportedly hired by [[Najib Razak]] among other top U.S. lawyers to defend him in the [[1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal|1MDB scandal]], back in 2016. According to the document, the firm was hired to provide legal advice and counsel to Najib regarding "improper actions by third parties to attempt to destabilise the government of Malaysia". Although it is unsure whether Najib will retain the services of Ashcroft on the issue due to the [[United States Department of Justice|United States Department of Justice's]] probe into 1MDB.<ref>{{cite web|title=Najib hires top American lawyers, including former US A-G |date=June 3, 2018 |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/06/03/only-the-best-will-do-for-najib-expm-hired-top-us-lawyers-before-ge14/|website=TheStar|access-date=June 3, 2018}}</ref>
==Political issues==
[[File:50th SCS volunteers key to Eagle Summit Ranch opening.jpg|thumb|left|Ashcroft delivers the key note speech at the Eagles Summit Ranch dedication ceremony in 2007]]
[[File:John Ashcroft by Gage Skidmore.jpg|left|thumb|John Ashcroft at [[Conservative Political Action Conference|CPAC]] in February 2010]]
[[File:John Ashcroft delivers remarks at the 30th Annual Candlelight Vigil to honor fallen officers.jpg|thumb|left|Ashcroft in 2018]]
In 2009 in ''[[Ashcroft v. al-Kidd]]'', the [[Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals]] in [[San Francisco]] found that Ashcroft could be sued and held personally responsible for the wrongful detention of Abdullah al-Kidd. The American citizen was arrested at [[Dulles International Airport]] in March 2003 on his way to [[Saudi Arabia]] for study. He was held for 15 days in maximum security in three states, and 13 months in supervised release, to be used as a material witness in the trial of [[Sami Omar Al-Hussayen]]. (The latter was acquitted of all charges of supporting terrorism.) Al-Kidd was never charged and was not called as a witness in the Al-Hussayen case.<ref name="Barnes">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/18/AR2010101802032.html |first=Robert |last=Barnes |title=Supreme Court to decide whether Ashcroft can be sued by detained citizen |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=October 18, 2012 |access-date=January 17, 2013 }}</ref>
The panels court described the government's assertions under the [[USA Patriot Act]] (2001) as "repugnant of the Constitution". In a detailed and at times passionate opinion, Judge [[Milan Smith]] likened allegations against al-Kidd as similar to the repressive practices of the British Crown that sparked the American Revolution. He wrote that the government asserts it can detain American citizens "not because there is evidence that they have committed a crime, but merely because the government wishes to investigate them for possible wrongdoing".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/john-ashcroft-can-be-sued-for-wrongful-detention-20090905-fbzv.html |title=John Ashcroft can be sued for wrongful detention |work=Sydney Morning Herald|date= September 5, 2009|access-date=March 16, 2010}}</ref> He called it "a painful reminder of some of the most ignominious chapters of our national history".<ref name=nyt>{{cite news|last=Schwartz|first=John|title=Panel Rules Against Ashcroft in Detention Case |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/05/us/politics/05witness.html|access-date=April 4, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 4, 2009}}</ref>
Abdullah Al-Kidd was held in a maximum security prison for 16 days, and in supervised release for 13 months. Al-Kidd was born Lavoni T. Kidd in 1973 in [[Wichita, Kansas]].<ref name="Barnes"/> When he converted to Islam as a student at the [[University of Idaho]], where he was a prominent football player, he changed his name. He asserts that Ashcroft violated his civil liberties as an American citizen, as he was treated like a terrorist and not allowed to consult an attorney. Al-Kidd's lawyers say Ashcroft, as US attorney general, encouraged authorities after 9/11 to arrest potential suspects as material witnesses when they lacked [[probable cause]] to believe the suspects had committed a crime.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304410504575560020403737414|title=Justices to Hear Ashcroft Appeal|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=October 18, 2010|access-date=October 19, 2010|first=Jess|last=Bravin}}</ref>
The US Supreme Court agreed on October 18, 2010, to hear the case. On May 31, 2011, the US Supreme Court unanimously overturned the lower court's decision, saying that al-Kidd could not personally sue Ashcroft, as he was protected by limited immunity as a government official.<ref>{{cite news |last=Savage |first=David G. |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sc-dc-0601-court-ashcroft-20110531,0,2570854.story?_r=1&hp |title=Supreme Court tosses out lawsuit accusing John Ashcroft of misusing his power |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=May 31, 2011 |access-date=June 9, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Epstein |first=Jennifer |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2011/05/court-no-suit-against-ashcroft-055925 |title=Supreme Court: Abdullah al-Kidd can't sue John Ashcroft over 9/11 arrest |work=[[Politico]] |date=May 31, 2011 |access-date=June 9, 2011}}</ref> A majority of the justices held that al-Kidd could not have won his case on the merits, because Ashcroft did not violate his [[Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourth Amendment]] rights.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.voanews.com/usa/supreme-court-us-muslim-cannot-sue-former-official |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131173310/https://www.voanews.com/usa/supreme-court-us-muslim-cannot-sue-former-official |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 31, 2020 |first=Kent |last=Klein |access-date=January 31, 2020 |work=Voice of America |title=Supreme Court: US Muslim Cannot Sue Former Official |date=June 1, 2011}}</ref>
Ashcroft has been a proponent of the [[War on Drugs]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mapinc.org/newscsdp/v01/n228/a04.html |title=US: Violence, Teen Drug Use Are Ashcroft Priorities |publisher=Mapinc.org |date=February 8, 2001 |access-date=May 28, 2011}}</ref> In a 2001 interview on ''Larry King Live,'' Ashcroft stated his intention to increase efforts in this area.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0102/07/lkl.00.html |title=CNN Transcript – Larry King Live: "John Ashcroft Discusses His New Job as Attorney General" |publisher=Cnn.com |date=February 7, 2001 |access-date=May 28, 2011 |archive-date=May 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522031147/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0102/07/lkl.00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2003, two nationwide investigations code-named [[Operation Pipe Dream]] and [[Operation Headhunter]], which targeted businesses selling [[drug paraphernalia]], mostly for [[cannabis (drug)|cannabis]] use, resulted in a series of indictments.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2017-title21/pdf/USCODE-2017-title21-chap13-subchapI-partD-sec863.pdf |title=WAIS Document Retrieval |access-date=May 28, 2011}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=May 2019}}
[[Tommy Chong]], a counterculture icon, was one of those charged, for his part in financing and promoting Chong Glass/Nice Dreams, a company started by his son Paris. Of the 55 individuals charged as a result of the operations, only Chong was given a prison sentence after conviction (nine months in a federal prison, plus forfeiting $103,000 and a year of probation). The other 54 individuals were given fines and home detentions. While the DOJ denied that Chong was treated any differently from the other defendants, critics thought the government was trying to make an example of him. Chong's experience as a target of Ashcroft's sting operation is the subject of [[Josh Gilbert (filmmaker)|Josh Gilbert's]] feature-length documentary ''[[a/k/a Tommy Chong]]'', which premiered at the [[2005 Toronto International Film Festival]]. In a pre-sentencing brief, the Department of Justice specifically cited Chong's entertainment career as a consideration against leniency.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://reason.com/2009/01/16/bongs-away/ |first=Jacob |last=Sullum |title=Bongs Away! |work=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]] |date=January 16, 2009 |access-date=May 29, 2019 }}</ref>
When [[Karl Rove]] was being questioned in 2005 by the [[FBI]] over the [[Plame affair|leak of a covert CIA agent's identity in the press]] (the [[Valerie Plame]] affair), Ashcroft was allegedly briefed about the [[CIA leak grand jury investigation|investigation]]. The Democratic U.S. Representative [[John Conyers]] described this as a "stunning ethical breach that cries out for an immediate investigation." Conyers, the ranking Democrat on the [[House Judiciary Committee]], asked, in a statement, for a formal investigation of the time between the start of Rove's investigation and John Ashcroft's [[recusal]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2005/08/09/what-now-karl/ |title=What Now, Karl? |work=[[The Village Voice]] |date=August 9, 2005 |access-date=August 17, 2018 |first=Murray S. |last=Waas}}</ref>
Since his service in government, Ashcroft has continued to oppose proposals for [[physician-assisted suicide]], which some states have passed by referendums. When interviewed about it in 2012, when a case had reached the US Supreme Court after California voters had approved a law to permit it under regulated conditions, he said,
<blockquote>I certainly believe that people who are in pain should be helped and assisted in every way possible, that the drugs should be used to mitigate their pain but I believe the law of the United States of America which requires that drugs not be used except for legitimate health purposes.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://californiahealthline.org/morning-breakout/attorney-general-ashcroft-asks-supreme-court-to-ban-assisted-suicide/ |title=Attorney General Ashcroft Asks Supreme Court To Ban Assisted Suicide |work=California Healthline |date=April 16, 2012 |access-date=August 17, 2018 }}</ref></blockquote>
In 2015, [[Human Rights Watch]] called for the investigation of Ashcroft "for conspiracy to torture as well as other crimes."<ref name="HRW Roadmap">{{cite journal |url=https://www.hrw.org/node/283564 |title=No More Excuses: A Roadmap to Justice for CIA Torture |date=December 1, 2015 |website=hrw.org |publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]] |access-date=December 2, 2015 }}</ref>
==Personal life==
[[File:John Ashcroft and his wife attend a post-recommissioning dinner for the battleship USS MISSOURI.jpg|thumb|right|John Ashcroft and his wife, Janet, in 1986]]
Ashcroft is a member of the [[Assemblies of God USA|Assemblies of God]] church. He is married to Janet E. Ashcroft and has three children with her.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-06-08/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-john-ashcroft |date=June 8, 2017 |last=Austin |first=Shelbi |access-date=February 22, 2019 |work=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |title=10 Things You Didn't Know About John Ashcroft |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915223406/https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-06-08/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-john-ashcroft |archive-date=September 15, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> His son, [[Jay Ashcroft|Jay]], served as the [[Missouri Secretary of State]] from 2017 to 2025. and unsuccessfully ran for Governor himself in 2024.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://fox2now.com/2016/11/08/jay-ashcroft-wins-secretary-of-state-race/ |title=Jay Ashcroft wins Secretary of State race |date=November 8, 2016 |first=Gregg |last=Palermo |access-date=May 29, 2019 |work=[[KTVI]] }}</ref>
Ashcroft has long enjoyed inspirational music and singing. In the 1970s, he recorded a [[gospel music|gospel]] record entitled ''Truth: Volume One, Edition One'', with Democratic Missouri legislator [[Max Bacon (politician)|Max Bacon]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whitehouse.org/media/ashcroft-bacon/ |title=John Ashcroft Sings: Ashcroft & Bacon Gospel Album: TRUTH Volume One, Edition One |publisher=Whitehouse.Org |access-date=May 28, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705183232/http://www.whitehouse.org/media/ashcroft-bacon/ |archive-date= July 5, 2008}}</ref>
With fellow U.S. senators [[Trent Lott]], [[Larry Craig]], and [[Jim Jeffords]], Ashcroft formed a [[barbershop quartet]] called [[The Singing Senators]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=LC Catalog - No Connections Available |url=https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchCode=LCCN&searchArg=2014673250&searchType=1&permalink=y |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=catalog.loc.gov}}</ref> The men performed at social events with other senators. Ashcroft performed the Star Spangled Banner before the National Hockey League all-star game in St. Louis in 1988.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}
Ashcroft composed a [[paean]] titled "[[Let the Eagle Soar]]," which he sang at the [[Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary]] in February 2002. Ashcroft has written and sung a number of other songs. He has collected these on compilation tapes, including ''In the Spirit of Life and Liberty'' and ''Gospel (Music) According to John''. In 1998, he wrote a book with author [[Gary Thomas (author)|Gary Thomas]] titled ''Lessons from a Father to His Son''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ashcroft|first=John|title=Lessons from a Father to His Son|year=1998|publisher=Thomas Nelson Inc.|isbn=9781418559441|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ax72lA12woC&q=lesson+from+a+father+to+his+son}}</ref>
Ashcroft was given an honorary doctorate before delivering the commencement address at [[Toccoa Falls College]] in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tfc.edu/news/2018-graduation-ceremony-concludes/ |title=2018 Graduation Ceremony Concludes }}</ref>
Ashcroft does not drink alcohol.<ref>{{cite news|title=Profile: John Ashcroft|work=[[BBC News]]|date=16 January 2001|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1120440.stm|access-date=20 March 2024|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171217051644/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1120440.stm|archive-date=17 December 2017}}</ref>
==Books==
* Co-author with Jane E. Ashcroft, ''College Law for Business,'' textbook (10th edition, 1987)
* ''On My Honor: The Beliefs that Shape My Life'' (1998)
* ''Lessons from a Father to His Son'' (2002)<ref name=poetic>{{cite news |first=Julian |last=Borger |author-link=Julian Borger |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/mar/04/usa.julianborger |title=Staff cry poetic injustice as singing Ashcroft introduces patriot games |work=[[The Guardian]] |___location=London |date=March 4, 2002 |access-date=May 28, 2011}}</ref>
* ''Never Again: Securing America and Restoring Justice'' (2006)<ref>{{cite news |author=Melissa Block |date= October 2, 2006 |url=https://www.npr.org/books/titles/137998703/never-again-securing-america-and-restoring-justice |title=Ashcroft Reflects on War on Terrorism |publisher=[[National Public Radio|NPR]] |work=[[All Things Considered]] |access-date=August 1, 2014}}</ref>
==Representation in other media==
{{More citations needed|section|date=April 2024}}
* His song, "Let the Eagle Soar", was satirically featured in [[Michael Moore]]'s 2004 movie ''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]]'' and has been frequently mocked by comedians such as [[David Letterman]], [[Stephen Colbert]] and [[David Cross]].
* The song was performed at Bush's 2005 inauguration by [[Guy Hovis]], a former cast member of ''[[The Lawrence Welk Show]]''.
*"Let the Eagle Soar" is heard in the background in the 2015 film ''[[The Big Short (film)|The Big Short]]'', as an ironic juxtaposition of schmaltzy music and new-age capitalist sensibility when a phone call is placed to pastoral [[Boulder, Colorado]], where anti-authoritarian ex-banking trader Ben Rickert (played by [[Brad Pitt]]) lives.
* The song "Caped Crusader" off of [[Jello Biafra]] and the [[Melvins]]' 2004 album ''[[Never Breathe What You Can't See]]'' lifts several lines from Ashcroft and [[9/11]] hijacker [[Mohamed Atta]] in a satirical attack on religious fundamentalism.
* [[Immortal Technique]]'s "Freedom of Speech" from his 2003 album [[Revolutionary Vol. 2]] critiques Ashcroft for the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]] under the pretense of [[Operation Iraqi Freedom|freedom]], suggesting that the real reason was racism<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Muhammad |first=Kareem R. |date=2015 |title=Mic Checks and Balances: Politically Conscious Hip-Hop's Engagement with the Presidency of Barack Obama |url=https://journals.ucp.pt/index.php/diffractions/article/view/490 |journal=Diffractions |language=en |issue=4 |pages=1–39 |doi=10.34632/diffractions.2015.490 |issn=2183-2188}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=April 2024}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{commons category|John Ashcroft}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{CongBio|A000356}}
* [http://www.cnn.com/video/us/2002/02/25/ashcroft.sings.wbtv.med.html CNN video of John Ashcroft singing "Let the Eagle Soar"]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070311114121/http://www.whitehouse.org/media/ashcroft-bacon/index.asp Excerpts from an album Ashcroft recorded in the 1970s]
* [http://www.issues2000.org/Senate/John_Ashcroft.htm Ashcroft's Senate voting record]
* [http://gulcfac.typepad.com/georgetown_university_law/files/comey.transcript.pdf Transcript of James Comey's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, May 15, 2007]
* {{C-SPAN|5609}}
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