WASHINGTON
- January 25 - With today's revelation in the Washington Post that
John Ashcroft as governor of Missouri asked a job applicant about his
sexual orientation, George W. Bush's nominee for attorney general has
once again failed the plausibility test regarding his true views on
the issue of workplace equity.
Ashcroft has repeatedly claimed that he would not discriminate on the
basis of sexual orientation, that he did not in fact block Ambassador
James Hormel's nomination because of Hormel’s sexual orientation,
and that he does not recall being asked to sign a nondiscrimination
policy as a member of the U.S. Senate.
"It is important that the nation's highest-ranking law enforcement
official tell the truth," said Elizabeth Toledo, executive director
of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "We urge members of the
Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate whether John Ashcroft has
responded truthfully to the questions that have been put to him."
On Thursday, the Washington Post reported that a health care expert
who applied for a top Cabinet post in Missouri's state government
says he was asked by Ashcroft about his sexual orientation. The
applicant contends that Ashcroft's very first question was, "do you
have the same sexual preference as most men?"
Through a spokeswoman, Ashcroft said he "cannot imagine" questioning
a job applicant about his sexual orientation. Despite historical
evidence to the contrary, Ashcroft claims that sexual orientation
will not be a factor in hiring at the Department of Justice.
As a member of the U.S. Senate, Ashcroft repeatedly declined to sign
a pledge that he would not discriminate against gay or lesbian
employees in his Senate office. Asked why during his confirmation
hearing, Ashcroft replied, "I don’t have any recollection about
this statement, and frankly, I'd have to answer, 'I don’t know and
I don't have any recollection of that.'"
Ashcroft also denied that he held up Hormel's nomination as ambassador
to Luxembourg because of Hormel's sexual orientation. But news accounts
from 1998 have surfaced in which Ashcroft was quoted as objecting to
Hormel's "gay lifestyle."
"Three strikes, he's out," Toledo said. "Ashcroft seems to be experiencing
either amnesia or an inability to be forthright. His comments on the
Hormel nomination, the nondiscrimination policy that he was asked to sign
and now on the applicant he interviewed for a post in the Missouri state
government do not pass the plausibility test. Members of the Senate
Judiciary Committee should take this into consideration - as should the
entire U.S. Senate - when they decide the fate of Mr. Ashcroft's nomination."
###
