August 28, 2007
Paging John Ashcroft
Now that Alberto Gonzales is on his way out of the DOJ, will John Ashcroft finally come out and talk about that dramatic night in his hospital room?
A few pundits are joking that Gonzales' poor performance as attorney general succeeded in making Ashcroft look good. The former AG was the regular butt of jokes because of his old-fashioned brand of patriotism and religious devoutness, which is pretty unfair. We've said it before and we'll say it again: a few people out there might owe Mr. Ashcroft an apology.
We're not alone in thinking this. According to FBI Director Robert Mueller and former DOJ No. 2 James Comey, Ashcroft refused to sign off on the White House's no-warrant surveillance program because he considered it illegal. And during that visit to his hospital room, when he was in critical condition, he insisted that Gonzales and Andy Card deal with Comey, who had assumed acting attorney general authority, instead of him. Comey testified that Gonzales and Card acted as if he wasn't even in the room.
Ashcroft has declined to speak to the media about the hearings that culminated in Gonzales' resignation yesterday. But he isn't completely out of public view -- on Sept. 12 he has a speaking engagement in Springfield, Mo., the Springfield Business Journal reports. Book your flights now, TV/radio correspondents.
Posted at 1:01 PM
Posted to:
Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, John Ashcroft
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