Attorney General John Ashcroft
“Faith can mitigate against paralysis in times of crisis when it is not possible to obtain all the salient pieces of information,” said former U. S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.
When terrorists struck New York City and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, Ashcroft, a former Missouri governor, senator and state attorney general who served with President Bush as the nation’s Attorney General for four historical years, was charged with the daunting task of charting an effective response to the attacks.
He also implemented comprehensive policy changes that bolstered security for the American homeland. “We didn’t know whether this was an initial attack and additional assaults of one kind or another would follow,” he said. “We were concerned something else might happen, and we were working desperately to make sure that we did everything possible to prevent it. And, if something were to happen, that we would be better prepared to respond constructively.”
Under Ashcroft’s leadership, the nation’s law enforcement agencies were furnished with additional tools that greatly enhanced counter-terrorism efforts. The policy changes enshrined into law by the USA Patriot Act enabled federal officials to apply certain surveillance practices against suspected terrorists that were previously applied against organized crime and drug dealing operations with great effect. The legislation won overwhelming approval in both houses of Congress.
General Ashcroft is credited with having overseen a remarkable period of safety and security in the months and years following the attacks. Under his watch, nearly 200 individuals associated with terrorist-related investigations were convicted. Ashcroft, now a distinguished professor of law and government at Regent University, endeavors to impart important lessons of leadership to his students.
He also emphasizes the role of faith in decision making. “Making decisions with complete information is reserved to classrooms and theory,” he said. “When the nation is under attack you have to make decisions absent the kind of comfort that comes from knowing all the facts. And in that event you have to have a lot of faith in the people with whom you’re working, and you have to trust God to help you make successful decisions.”
Ashcroft is excited to be a part of the Regent Law School faculty because it gives him greater latitude to pursue the truth than is commonly available in a secular environment. “[At Regent] God is not placed off limits,” he said. “The integration of all truth is the business of philosophy and education and the reason for Regent’s existence.”
