Former US Attorney General US Senator and Governor of Missouri, John Ashcroft spoke at the December Commencement on December 14th, 2013.
Ashcroft spoke about his experience during 9/11. Just hours after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Attorney General John Ashcroft sat across the table from President George W. Bush at an undisclosed location. The president, Ashcroft recalls, stared into his eyes and said, “Never let this happen again.” Ashcroft told students he knew then that he had to change his strategy as attorney general if he was to guarantee the safety of the American people. Eventually, Ashcroft became instrumental in passing the Patriot Act, which increased security measures to prevent attacks.