Ashcroft Speaks at Holy Cross

Former Attorney General, John D. Ashcroft delivered the 43rd Annual Hanify-Howland Lecture on September 16th. The title of the lecture "Securing Freedom in Perilous Times" focused on Ashcroft's role in policy following the attacks on September 11th, 2001. Mr. Ashcroft served as Governor of Missouri from 1985 to 1993 and served as US Senator for the State of Missouri from 1994 until 2000. President George W. Bush named Ashcroft the 79th Attorney General of the United States in 2001. Attorney General John Ashcroft helped to prosecute over 190 terrorists and investigate countless more as he secured our nation's freedom.

The lecture focused on the distinction between the Department of Justice's (DOJ)traditional focus on the prosecution of individuals to the focus on prevention of terrorist acts and other heinous crimes. In the traditional form of investigation by the DOJ, the end is essentially the successful prosecution of individuals suspected of domestic felonies. The DOJ would investigate an individual and like any other form of policing would arrest a suspect after a crime was committed. In many cases, such as drug deals, the investigation would conclude after the crime (ie. drug deal) had taken place. The next step was prosecution.

Following the attacks on September 11th, Justice Department officials led by Mr. Ashcroft began to shift focus to prevention. It is one thing to wait for a warrant to search a person's residence or to listen to communications after a bank robbery has been committed. It is another thing to wait for a warrant when a terrorist attack is imminent. Therefore, the DOJ shifted into prevention mode, and with the help of the FISA Act for obtaining warrants, was able to successfully investigate known terror suspects. This process culminated in Congress' overwhelming passage of the Patriot Act, which allowed for such measures with some increased scrutiny.

The following morning, Mr. Ashcroft led several question and answer seminars with Holy Cross students about security in a post-September 11th world. Questions ranged from the use of FISA to obtain warrants for espionage to the nature of the Constitution and whether justices had the power to reverse previously established precedents for investigating communications between suspected terrorists.

The Hanify-Howland Committee is an independent body of Holy Cross Students who, with the financial support of the Hanify and Howland families, brings publicly noted civil servants to speak on campus. Past speakers have included the Honorable Antonin Scalia, the Honorable Clarence Thomas, and Paul D. Wolfowitz.