Ashcroft Testifies About Guantanamo Interrogation Methods

Staff / Truthdig Jul 17, 2008 Former Attorney General John Ashcroft fumbled as he was point-blanked about the goings-on at Guantanamo Bay during his tenure at the White House, claiming he had "limited recollection" of the events he was there to testify about and claiming he "wasn't an expert in this arena when I was in office." Updated Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Justice Dept. Cherry-Picked Conservatives

Staff / Truthdig Jun 25, 2008 Here's another outrage that has stumbled out in the twilight of George W. Bush: Under the leadership of John Ashcroft and, especially, Alberto Gonzales, the Justice Department illegally sought to hire conservative lawyers, according to a preliminary report from the department's own inspector general. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Where Is the Outrage?

Robert Scheer / Truthdig May 28, 2008 Are we Americans truly savages or merely tone-deaf in matters of morality, and therefore more guilty of terminal indifference than venality? It's a question demanding an answer in response to the publication of a 370-page report on U.S. complicity in torture. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Cheney, Other Top Officials Authorized Waterboarding

Staff / Truthdig Apr 12, 2008 Bush administration officials Vice President Dick Cheney, current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her predecessor, Colin Powell, and then-Attorney General John Ashcroft were among those who deliberated over, and eventually approved, the use of "harsh interrogation techniques" (which some would call torture) at meetings following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Dr. Al-Arian’s Third Strike

Chris Hedges / Truthdig Mar 8, 2008 The Palestinian activist Dr. Sami Amin Al-Arian, imprisoned for five years despite a jury's failure to return a single guilty verdict against him, has gone on a hunger strike in a Virginia jail. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Students Confront Ashcroft

Staff / Truthdig Dec 1, 2007 Some 150 students donned hoods and turned their backs in silent protest of former Attorney General John Ashcroft at Cornell University on Thursday. Cornell law student and protest co-planner Michael Siegel told Truthdig the demonstrators were meant to represent "the detainees who were arrested and imprisoned without due process under Ashcroft's leadership." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Ashcroft Willing to Be Waterboarded

Staff / Truthdig Nov 29, 2007 While speaking at the University of Colorado on Tuesday night, former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft reaffirmed his belief in the Patriot Act and, when asked by an audience member if he'd submit to the controversial "interrogation" tactic of waterboarding, Ashcroft said he would. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Truthdigger of the Week: Jack Goldsmith

Staff / Truthdig Sep 8, 2007 Truthdig tips its hat this week to Jack Goldsmith, who speaks out about his experiences during his nine-month tenure as head of the Office of Legal Counsel during a crucial phase of the Bush presidency in 2003-4 in his troubling and illuminating new book, "The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgment Inside the Bush Administration." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Former DOJ Lawyer Blasts Bush Torture Policy

Staff / Truthdig Sep 6, 2007 Wouldn't it have been chillingly fascinating to watch White House bigwigs in action sometime around 2003, while they played fast and loose with executive power and international law? Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

A Legacy of Legitimizing Torture

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Aug 29, 2007 President Bush lamented Alberto Gonzales' resignation and insisted that the "good name" of the attorney general had been besmirched for partisan purposes. Good name? Robert Scheer reviews the highlights (or, rather, the low points) of Gonzales' tenure and looks at the troubling legacy he leaves behind. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

FBI Chief’s Notes Tell of Ashcroft Hospital Scene

Staff / Truthdig Aug 17, 2007 Corroborating an account by former Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey, FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III detailed the dramatic events that occurred in then-Attorney General John Ashcroft's hospital room in March 2004 when his successor, Alberto Gonzales, attempted to persuade a convalescing Ashcroft to sign off on a domestic wiretapping program he opposed. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Cheney’s Memory Issues

Staff / Truthdig Aug 2, 2007 Taking a page from the Ronald Reagan Guide to Dodging Sticky Political Issues, Vice President Dick Cheney told Larry King that he didn't recall if he was the one who asked Alberto Gonzales to pressure John Ashcroft to sign off on a wiretapping program as Ashcroft lay in a hospital bed in 2004. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )