Never Again: Ashcroft on Post-9/11 Efforts

As attorney general, he was the fourth most powerful person in the nation. John Ashcroft served four years at the President's pleasure, overseeing the Department of Justice during a critical juncture of America's history.

Since stepping down as the nation's top lawyer, John Ashcroft has faded from the public spotlight, but remained close to the center of power.

Today, you will find his office at his Washington, D.C. lobby firm, The Ashcroft Group.

He's also returned to the classroom. The Yale graduate now teaches at Regent University's School of Law.

The Senate confirmed Ashcroft in February 2001- less than a year before the attacks of September 11. Sept. 11 is the central theme of Ashcroft's new book, Never Again, an insider's revelation of how the Bush Administration created its historic strategy to fight the War on Terror.

Sept. 11 shifted priorities in the Justice Department from pursuit and prosecution of criminals to the prevention of terrorist attacks on American soil.

Ashcroft spearheaded the fight for the Patriot Act to give law enforcement tools to track terrorists and break down the wall preventing intelligence sharing between agencies.

Ashcroft faced criticism on a range of issues during his tenure-from his aggressive surveillance of terror suspects to the detention of Muslims after Sept. 11 to the impact of his Christian beliefs on his job and daily staff devotions at the Department of Justice.

But when the 79th Attorney General tendered his letter of resignation in November 2004, John Ashcroft assured the President "the security and safety of Americans from crime and terror had been achieved."

John Ashcroft recently talked with Pat Robertson about post-9/11 and his book Never Again. Watch the interview.