John Ashcroft news stories on Newser

Prosecute Bush, Cronies: Human Rights Watch

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:02:02 CDT

Human Rights Watch wants George W. Bush and his top officials prosecuted for war crimes and criminal conspiracy, the Guardian reports. In a new report, the US group calls for foreign governments to move forward with the prosecution if the Obama administration does not investigate. In addition to allegations of...

Supreme Court Tosses Lawsuit Against Ashcroft

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 31 May 2011 15:48:05 CDT

John Ashcroft is off the hook. The Supreme Court tossed out a lawsuit against the former attorney general in an 8-0 vote today, finding that he did not misuse his power or violate the 4th Amendment. American Muslim Abdullah al-Kidd sued after being arrested at Dulles Airport and held for...

Blackwater Hires John Ashcroft as Ethics Head

Kevin Spak — Wed, 04 May 2011 12:58:40 CDT

Xe Services, the artist formerly known as Blackwater, has hired none other than John Ashcroft to be its guiding light on ethics. Ashcroft has been named an “independent director” in charge of Xe’s new subcommittee on governance. His job? To “promote the highest degrees of ethics and professionalism.” In other...

High Court to Decide if Ashcroft Can Be Sued

Kevin Spak — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 14:33:07 CDT

The Supreme Court will step in to decide whether a Muslim American can sue John Ashcroft for a policy that led to his arrest in the wake of 9/11. The FBI arrested Kansas native Abdullah al-Kidd at Dulles International Airport in 2003, while he was preparing to board a flight...

Court: Ashcroft on Hook in Post-9/11 Detention Case

Will McCahill — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:36:47 CDT

Former Bush attorney general John Ashcroft can be held personally responsible in a lawsuit brought by a US citizen who was detained on suspicion of being a material witness to terrorism but was never charged with a crime, an appellate court ruled today. Abdullah al-Kidd alleged the detention, begun in...

Ridge Takes Back Threat Level Claim in His Book

Matt Cantor — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:12:00 CDT

Former Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge says the Bush administration “never pressured” him to raise the US terror threat level, backing down on a claim made in his book, USA Today reports. In the book, Ridge writes that John Ashcroft and Donald Rumsfeld pushed him to elevate it before the...

Wiretapping Memos Drafted in 'Inappropriate' Secrecy: Report

Nick McMaster — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:59:01 CDT

The legal justification for the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program was handled with unprecedented secrecy that sidestepped usual Justice Department procedure, the Washington Post reports. Only three Justice officials—John Ashcroft, John Yoo, and staff attorney James Baker—were made aware of the program and participated in drafting memos that...

Groups Move to Disbar Bush Lawyers Over Torture

Kevin Spak — Mon, 18 May 2009 12:42:00 CDT

A coalition of mostly left-leaning organizations is attempting to get a gaggle of Bush officials disbarred for sanctioning torture, the Legal Times reports. In complaints filed with five state bar associations today, the groups accuse ex-attorneys general Michael Mukasey, Alberto Gonzalez, and John Ashcroft—along with nine others—of violating...

Supreme Court Dumps Suit Vs. Mueller, Ashcroft

Mon, 18 May 2009 10:29:11 CDT

The Supreme Court says a lawsuit against FBI Director Robert Mueller and former Attorney General John Ashcroft by a former Sept. 11 detainee cannot go forward. The court today overturned a lower court decision that let Javaid Iqbal's lawsuit against the high-ranking officials proceed. Iqbal is a Pakistani Muslim who...