Ashcroft Demeans The Office Of Attorney General

Yesterday's Chicago Tribune carried a story about former Attorney General John Ashcroft's lobbying activities in which one expert concludes he has demeaned the office of Attorney General.

Less than three months after registering as a lobbyist, former Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft has banked at least $269,000 from just four clients and appears to be developing a practice centered on companies that want to capitalize on a government demand for homeland security technology that boomed under sometimes controversial policies he promoted while in office.

Three clients of Ashcroft's lobbying firm want his help in selling data or software with homeland security applications, according to government filings.

A fourth, Israel Aircraft Industries International, is competing with Chicago's Boeing Co. to sell the government of South Korea a billion-dollar airborne radar system.

While Ashcroft's lobbying is within government rules for former officials, it is nonetheless a departure from the practice of attorneys general for at least the last 30 years. While others have counseled corporate clients or perhaps even lobbied in a specific case as part of law firm business, Ashcroft is the first in recent memory to open a lobbying firm.

[See full post at Fired Up! Missouri]