How the Saudis Took Trump for a Ride

Ben Freeman and William D. Hartung / TomDispatch May 13, 2018 The president's uncritical embrace of reckless, extreme and undemocratic regimes has far-reaching implications for the future of American foreign policy in the Middle East. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )

Prosecutorial Misconduct Reaches Epidemic Proportions

Bill Blum / Truthdig Mar 26, 2018 From the Bush-era torture memos to everyday criminal trials, prosecutorial misconduct has been running rampant. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Military, CIA Leaders May Be Investigated for War Crimes

By Marjorie Cohn / Truthout Nov 20, 2017 The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has asked for authorization to investigate U.S. practices in Afghanistan. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

The Mythical Integrity of Robert Mueller and James Comey

By Coleen Rowley / Consortiumnews Jun 7, 2017 The special "Russiagate" prosecutor (left) and the fired FBI director have long histories as pliable political operatives. The special "Russiagate" prosecutor (left) and the fired FBI director have long histories as pliable political operatives. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Truthdigger of the Week: Lynne Stewart

BLANK Feb 10, 2014 Early in the Bush administration, six months after the attacks of Sept 11, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced he would prosecute attorney Lynne Stewart on the grounds that she had materially aided a terrorist organizationSix months after the attacks of Sept. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Ashcroft Assumes Ethical Advisory Role With Xe Services

Staff / Truthdig May 5, 2011 Hold your breath. John Ashcroft--George W. Bush's first attorney general and champion of the Patriot Act--has just taken an ethical advisory position with Xe Services, the military contractor formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide. (more) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Legal Troubles Might Lie in Wait for Ashcroft

Staff / Truthdig Sep 5, 2009 Did then-Attorney General John Ashcroft violate the Constitution in his handling of certain national security investigations shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks? According to the Los Angeles Times, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has reason to believe that he did, and thus Ashcroft can be sued for prosecutorial abuses even this long after the fact, the paper reported Saturday.Did then-Attorney General John Ashcroft violate the Constitution in his handling of certain national security investigations shortly after 9/11? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Basis of Domestic Surveillance Was ‘Flawed,’ Report Finds

Staff / Truthdig Jul 11, 2009 Former President Bush's infamous warrant-free domestic surveillance plan, instituted after 9/11 to monitor potentially suspicious communication between parties within and outside of the U.S., has deservedly gotten a bad rap -- and it's about to get worse, thanks to a congressionally mandated report released Friday. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

High Court Lets Ashcroft, Mueller Off the Hook

Staff / Truthdig May 19, 2009 The nation's top court decided on Monday that former Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI honcho Robert Mueller aren't directly accountable for the abuses that Pakistani detainee Javaid Iqbal, a Muslim, says he endured as a result of his race and religion in a New York prison in 2002. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Jonathan Shapiro on the Hamdan Case

BLANK Aug 29, 2008 In Jonathan Mahler's new book, George W. Bush emerges as the most lawless president in American history, the first to usurp the law as a matter of policy. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Ashcroft Defends Waterboarding at House Hearing

Staff / Truthdig Jul 18, 2008 Discussing the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, former Attorney General John Ashcroft said he didn't think waterboarding constituted torture and that the technique produced "very valuable" reports. He was testifying on the Bush administration's interrogation rules. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Feith Interrogated About Interrogation Methods

Staff / Truthdig Jul 17, 2008 In this clip from Thursday's House Judiciary Committee hearing about prisoner interrogation methods at Guantanamo Bay, former Defense Undersecretary Douglas Feith gets into a tense round of questioning with Rep. Keith Ellison about what former Attorney General John Ashcroft did or didn't tell him about interrogation vis-à-vis the Third Geneva Convention. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )