Washington, D.C. – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today reiterated its praise for Attorney General-designate John Ashcroft and praised his record on taxpayer issues and government waste.

 “We believe John Ashcroft will clean up the Department of Justice and restore the rule of law,” CCAGW President Thomas A. Schatz said.  “Based on his distinguished career as an attorney, twice-elected state attorney general, governor, and senator, we believe Sen. Ashcroft will make an excellent chief law enforcement officer.”

CCAGW also expressed concern over the flagrantly political attacks on Ashcroft and other members of the Bush cabinet.

“While ideology may be part of what is behind the big-government advocates and their vicious attacks on Ashcroft and other Bush cabinet appointees, CCAGW believes money may be the motivating factor for many of the interest groups,” Schatz added.  “Many of the groups lined up against Ashcroft – far from receiving legitimate grassroots support – pursue their radical agendas on the taxpayer’s dime.  It is no wonder they fear a corruption and spending hawk like Ashcroft.”  

As noted by the Capital Research Center (www.capitalresearch.org), various groups opposing Ashcroft received almost $150 million in government money from 1996-1999.

In addition, Citizens Against Government Waste’s own 1998 report, “Phony Philanthropy: How Government Grants are Subverting the Mission of Nonprofit Organizations,” made similar findings that big-government organizations were receiving more than $236 million in government grants from just one federal agency and lobbying Congress to pursue their agenda. 

Sen. Ashcroft has a strong record in the critical issues that will fall under his purview at the Justice Department, including:

• A lifetime CCAGW rating of 85 percent, fourth highest in the Senate.
• A 92 percent rating from the Information Technology Industry Council.
• Support of a permanent moratorium on Internet taxation.
• Strong defense of intellectual property rights.
• An excellent record on cyber-security and privacy.
• Being the first senator to have an official website; first to conduct an online poll.

CCAGW is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.