The Dallas Morning News
By Dave Michaels
April 21, 2009
The Tex Parte blog reported today that former Bush Attorney General John Ashcroft has joined forces with former U.S. Attorney for the western district of Texas Johnny Sutton to start a firm that will represent people “at a very, very significant level.” Guess this means no indigent defense work for them. The third name partner is John Ratcliffe, former U.S.A. for the eastern district of Texas. Ratcliffe will be based in the firm’s Dallas office, while Sutton will work out of Austin.
Sutton’s office prosecuted Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, the former Border Patrol agents who covered up their shooting of a Mexican drug dealer and briefly went to prison for it. (Sutton took a good bit of flak from fellow conservatives for pursuing the cases, then supported a commutation of their sentences later, according to the San Antonio Express-News.) Ashcroft, who clashed with fellow Bush administration appointees over the warrantless wiretapping program, also founded a D.C. firm that lobbies Congress and federal agencies and advises businesses on corporate integrity.
Tex Parte says Sutton’s firm will focus on “corporate compliance, corporate representation, strategic planning and risk management.” Sutton plans to keep one foot in conservative politics by maintaining “a very public voice on policy matters,” according to the blog.