Ashcroft Group

The Ashcroft Group, LLC is a Washington, DC-based lobbying firm founded by former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft in May 2005.

The focus of the firm is "strategic consulting, security and internal investigative services, and crisis counseling," for countries, corporations and industry and political associations, reported The Hill. O'Dwyer's PR Daily described the firm's anticipated work as to advise "countries on how to beef up law enforcement capabilities and best combat terror" and "U.S. companies on homeland security and governance issues."

Profiting from 9/11
Ashcroft Group lobbyist Juleanna Glover Weiss remarked of Ashcroft, "The fact that he was attorney general during such a pivotal time in the nation's history, he is more associated with crisis leadership, personal integrity and security and law enforcement than probably any other attorney general in history." 

The head of the political watchdog group Center for Responsive Politics said Ashcroft is "clearly trading off the whole anti-terrorism and 9/11 aspect of his being attorney general. ... One of the thing's he's going to be selling is his access to this administration. He'll be perceived as having the inside track. I think he'll probably find it very profitable." 

"Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight, said that because Mr. Ashcroft had worked only in government, 'he cannot claim to have any business expertise. ... What is he selling,' Ms. Brian asked, 'other than connections and knowledge of how to game the system from being attorney general?'"

Clients
"Business is brisk for former Attorney General John Aschroft’s new lobbying firm, but it is unclear just whom he represents," reported The Hill in October 2005. Glover Weiss told the newspaper that the only client the firm could name publicly is the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts. She "declined to say whom it is advising on homeland security, antitrust, corporate governance, intellectual property and money-laundering issues," due to nondisclosure agreements. 

In January 2006, news stories identified LTU Technologies and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) as new Ashcroft Group clients. LTU Technologies is a France-based company involved in email monitoring and "content-based search, retrieval and classification of images and videos," seeking "to land homeland security contrats." 

IAI wants to "secure the U.S. government’s approval to sell a weapons system to the South Korean Air Force." The Hill explained, "U.S. law requires Israel, and any other country seeking to resell American military technology, to secure approval from the Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls." The Israeli aerospace company is competing with U.S.-based Boeing for the South Korean contract, which will be awarded by May 2006. 

The Hill also named Oracle Corporation and ChoicePoint, "a company that sells data to police and federal law-enforcement agencies," as Ashcroft Group clients, based on public records. 

In February 2006, O'Dwyer's PR Daily reported that eBay had hired the Ashcroft Group, "to help on patent reform issues." The story also noted that Oracle paid Ashcroft $220,000, just for work done from October 18 to December 31, 2005. 

In June 2006, O'Dwyer's reported that General Dynamics had hired Ashcroft on "trade and defense issues." Juleanna Glover Weiss, Lori Day Sharp and Willie Gaynor are working on the General Dynamics account. General Dynamics "has been a key beneficiary of the Iraq invasion, according to a June 13 Washington Times profile. A 'steady stream of orders from the U.S. Army, which now total about 25 percent of the company's sales-provides a solid base that will continue for year,' said the WT. The company's net sales have doubled to $21B since '00." 

In August 2006, O'Dwyer's reported that Ashcroft was representing Dulles Research Corporation, "a firm involved in the counter-terrorism and homeland security markets," before the Defense Department and Department of Homeland Security. 

In March 2007, John Ashcroft wrote to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and all members of the U.S. House and Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees, about the proposed merger between satellite radio companies XM and Sirius. The National Association of Broadcasters had "retained" him to do so, according to Broadcasting & Cable. Ashcroft's letter stated, in part, that "terrestrial radio stations should not be considered part of the satellite radio market for the purposes of the review of the current merger because they are not providing substitute content." The argument (which mirrored NAB's) is the major point of those opposing the merger. 

In July 2009, the Rockefeller Family Fund "retained former Attorney General's John Ashcroft's lobbying venture to work Congress on its behalf," reported O'Dwyer's. The Ashcroft Group is representing the Fund on the Waxman-Markey Climate Bill and "the Clear Act (Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal), which is a favorite of Republicans. President Obama wants to strip funding for that bill. That cash is used to reimburse local governments for outlays connected with the round-up and detention of illegal immigrants."

Staff

 * John David Ashcroft
 * Tyler P. Alcorn (bio)
 * David T. Ayres (bio); former Ashcroft chief of staff
 * Lori Sharpe Day (bio); lobbyist; previously the Department of Justice’s director of intergovernmental affairs under Ashcroft, a legislative aide in the U.S. Senate, and the vice president of the Air Transport Association
 * William C.T. Gaynor II (bio); lobbyist; previously the Western finance director for the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign and a former Department of Commerce official
 * Tracy A. Henke
 * Susan Richmond (bio)
 * Juleanna Glover Weiss

Contact information
The Ashcroft Group, LLC 1399 New York Avenue, N.W. Suite 950 Washington, DC 20005 Phone: 202 942-0202 FAX: 202 942-0216 Email: info AT ashcroftgroupllc.com Website: http://www.ashcroftgroupllc.com News Links: http://www.ashcroftgroupllc.com/new/News.php

Related SourceWatch articles

 * John David Ashcroft
 * Juleanna Glover Weiss
 * Lobbying firms

External resources

 * |2 Lobbying Registration, U.S. Senate, October 2005.
 * Lobbying Database: Ashcroft Group, Summary 2005, OpenSecrets.org.

External articles

 * Jonathan E. Kaplan, "Ashcroft joins K Street legions," The Hill, May 1, 2005.
 * Sam Hananel, "Ashcroft's firm will advise companies, help countries counter terrorism," Associated Press, May 2, 2005.
 * "Weiss Fights Terror with Ashcroft," O'Dwyer's PR Daily, May 4, 2005.
 * Judy Sarasohn, "From Counselor to Consultant," Washington Post, May 5, 2005.
 * Anna Palmer, "Ashcroft's Lobbying Firm Makes for a First Among Former AGs," Influence (Law.com), May 16, 2005.
 * Jonathan E. Kaplan, "Ashcroft Group quiet on who its clients are," The Hill, October 4, 2005.
 * "AICPA Taps Ashcroft," O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub. req'd.), October 12, 2005.
 * "Ashcroft's Firm Lobbies for 'Image Miner'," O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), January 4, 2006.
 * Jonathan E. Kaplan, "Ashcroft helps Israelis on Korean weapons deal," The Hill, January 4, 2006.
 * Andrew Orlowski, "Oracle helps Ashcroft board the terror gravy train," The Register (UK), January 11, 2006.
 * Judy Sarasohn, "By the Numbers," Special Interests/Washington Post, January 12, 2006.
 * "Ashcroft stakes out lucrative new ground," Chicago Tribune (Columbian Tribune); truthout, January 13, 2006.
 * Editorial: "Lobbyist Ashcroft / The former attorney general sets up on K Street," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 13, 2006.
 * Matt Sterns, "Private sector is paying off for Ashcroft," The Kansas City Star (newsdesk.org), January 16, 2006.
 * "Insider Report: Steve Forbes Praises 'Do As I Say'," NewsMax, January 22, 2006. Scroll down to "Ashcroft Lobbies Against Boeing".
 * Bill Berkowitz, "'Let the dollars soar'. Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft cashes in as Homeland Security lobbyist," Media Transparency, February 3, 2006.
 * Bill Berkowitz, "John Ashcroft Spreads His Wings," Inter Press Service (Common Dreams); Dissident Voice, February 14, 2006.
 * Anna Palmer, "Rebranding John Ashcroft. The former attorney general is sanding off the hard edges as he tries to be a K Street player," Legal Times, February 20, 2006.
 * Leslie Wayne, "Same Washington, Different Office," New York Times, March 17, 2006.
 * Ashyby Jones, "John Ashcroft: Settling in on K Street," Wall Street Journal Law Blog, March 17, 2006.
 * Ina Steiner, "eBay Patent Wars: Former AG Ashcroft to Lobby for eBay," AuctionBytes.com, March 20, 2006.
 * Arianna Huffington, "John Ashcroft, Lobbyist," AlterNet, March 20, 2006.
 * Dawn Kawamoto, "Ashcroft firm lobbies for tech titans," CNET News.com (ZDNet), March 21, 2006.
 * "GD Picks Ashcroft," O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), June 15, 2006.
 * "Ashcroft Group Reps DRC," O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), August 10, 2006.
 * "Innova Holdings, Provider of Robotics Solutions for Military, Space and Homeland Security Joins HomelandDefenseStocks.com," Investor Ideas Blogspot, August 16, 2006: "In addition, Innova Holdings has retained The Ashcroft Group, LLC to assist in building strategic relationships within the military, homeland security, first responder markets as well as the intelligence community." Also see Securities and Exchange Commission info.
 * Paul Joseph Watson, "Ashcroft Responds To 9/11 Foreknowledge Charges. Former Attorney General confronted on radio show, claims reports he stopped flying commercial before September 11 2001 false, war on terror not a money making scheme for some," PrisonPlanet.com (InfoWars.com), October 10, 2006.
 * News Release: "Bio-Solutions Manufacturing, Inc. Announces The Ashcroft Group Agreement," Market Wire, December 11, 2006. re Bio-Solutions Manufacturing, Inc.
 * John Eggerton, "Ashcroft Says XM/Sirius Deal Would Decrease Competition," Broadcasting & Cable, March 2, 2007.