Source: The Washington Post

On January 13, 2001, The Washington Post reported that " John D. Ashcroft, President-elect Bush's pick to be attorney general, told graduates at Bob Jones University in 1999 that America was founded on religious principles and that "we have no king but Jesus," according to a transcript of his remarks released yesterday." The transcript concerns some Ashcroft opponents, who worry about the signals sent when Ashcroft, then a Missouri senator, "proudly accepted" an honorary degree from the university. Ashcroft's supporters argue that he will not impose his religious beliefs upon anyone else and defend him against criticisms of his positions on race issues.