The controversy over Ashcroft's contract raises bigger issues about this Justice Department tool. more >>

The relationship between onetime government officials and their former agencies is always a topic of public scrutiny. But the recent disclosure that a top federal prosecutor in New Jersey awarded former Attorney General John Ashcroft a no-bid contract worth upwards of $28 million to monitor compliance in a company settling criminal charges has generated not just questions but an internal DOJ inquiry as well. more >>