The Ashcroft Justice Department and Patriot Act II

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In the aftermath of September 11, Congress passed the Patriot Act, which gave Attorney General John Ashcroft sweeping new powers to investigate and prosecute suspected terrorists. Now, a proposed expansion of the act has been leaked. Ashcroft, who favors states- rights and limited government, is a fundamentalist Christian conservative for whom the law is a tool of good versus evil. His Justice Department has intervened against state legalization of marijuana and assisted suicide, and claimed such broad powers in the war on terror that critics claim the Bill of Rights is in real danger. Is Ashcroft safeguarding liberty or shackling it with a social agenda? We look at the implications for civil liberties and homeland security with a national pollster, legal experts, and former officials and a historian of the Justice Department.
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US Department of Justice

Attorney General John Ashcroft

Patriot Act of 2001

President Kim Dae Jung

President Roh Moo Hyun

Credits

Host:

Warren Olney