Orrin Hatch: “let me point to just a few instances of these amazing attacks on Senator Ashcroft, made on largely religious grounds…”

“let me point to just a few instances of these amazing attacks on Senator Ashcroft, made on largely religious grounds, since he was nominated. In fairness to my colleagues in the Senate, they have tried to draw a distinction between the liberal pressure groups' attacks on Senator Ashcroft's religious views and my colleagues' questioning into his ``values'' or ``beliefs.'' But their wholesale adoption of the rest of the liberal interest group critique of John Ashcroft does suggest a connection between the objections, despite a generally more guarded rhetoric. However, I was disappointed that just this morning one of our colleagues was quoted in The New York Times as saying, ``he believed Mr. Ashcroft's `fundamental beliefs and values' would conflict with the attorney general's responsibility to enforce the law.'' NY Times, Feb. 1, 2001. Let me turn to the testimony of Professor James M. Dunn, who testified at our Senate hearings as an expert on religion issues. I begin here because Professor Dunn is the most explicit in his religious attack on Senator Ashcroft.”