executive branch. >> john ashcroft was the attorney general undergeorge w. bush and led the way on the administration's domestic response to the war on terror after 9/11. part of that time, he had been a senator for the state of missouri and he had been a controversial pick because of his religious views but he was confirmed. he was in the position but then came 9/11 and everything changed. the attorney germ's role is a fascinating one and one of the first cabinet positions and it was a part-time position and the attorney germ didn't live in d.c. but as the federal government gue, the attorney general had to be on happened because it was his job to argue cases before the u.s. supreme court. it really spappeded with the modern presidency in franklin roosevelt because as the federal government grew the more and more areas, it was the attorney general's mandate to oversee it. the lawsuits and legal actions relating to the civil war erupted and private attorneys were hired by the government ap it was very expensive and brought in and created a department of just

branch . >> john ashcroft was the attorney general under george w. bush and really lead the way on the administrations domestic response to the war on terror after 9/11. part of that time he had been a senator for the state of missouri. he was a controversial pick for attorney general cause of his strong conservative religious bills and there was pushback but he was confirmed . initially he seemed the board in the position but then came 9/11 and everything changed. the attorney general's role is a fascinating one, it was one of the first cabinet positions created and it was a part-time position unlike the secretary of state and the secretary of treasury and the attorney general in fact didn't even live in dc but as the federal government grew, the attorney general had to be on hand because it was his job to argue cases before the supreme court and there were very many in those early years but eventually it became an important role. expanded with the modern state because if the federal government grew and federal law increased, it was the attorney gen

executive branch. >> john ashcroft was the attorney general under george w. bush. his first attorney general. really, it led the way on the administration's domestic response to the war on terror but in terror after 911. by the time he been a senator for the state of missouri. he was a controversial pick because of his strong conservative religious views and there was some pushback but he was confirmed as attorney general and initially he seemed bored in the position then came 911 and everything changed. the attorney general role as a vastly one. when the first cabinet positions created, number four. 's part-time position unlike the secretary of state and the secretary of war secretary of treasury and the attorney general initially did not live in dc. the federal government grew in federal law increased the attorney general had to be on hand because it was his job to argue cases before the court. there weren't very many in those early years but eventually it became an externally important role. it expanded with the modern presidency and frequent roosevelt bec