Bush Camp Attempts to Head Off Skirmish Over Nominee Ashcroft

The incoming Bush administration Thursday denounced efforts to defeat the president-elect’s nomination of former Sen. John Ashcroft for attorney general, saying that such attempts smack of partisan posturing designed to elicit campaign contributions.

“It’s unfortunate that there are still some in Washington that want to play the old game of tearing opponents down,” Dan Bartlett, a spokesman for George W. Bush, told reporters here.

“That’s the type of rhetoric and the type of atmosphere that we’ve seen in Washington,” he added. Bartlett’s remarks were echoed in the nation’s capital by Ari Fleischer, Bush’s designated White House press secretary.

Fleischer called opposition to Ashcroft “disappointing” and said that efforts to use the confirmation process as a fund-raising tool are “wrong.”

Such a tactic, Fleischer added, “is exactly why President-elect Bush wants to change the tone in Washington.” Critics of Ashcroft, however, said that their opposition is based on his record and the issues and is not geared to fund-raising.

As Ashcroft’s nomination continued to make waves, the conservative nominee paid a visit to Capitol Hill and spent 75 minutes with Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will conduct hearings on the nomination.

Leahy declined to discuss their conversation but predicted that the hearings will be “fair and objective.”

Ashcroft’s critics have questioned whether he, as attorney general, would vigorously enforce civil rights statutes against violence at abortion clinics. They also have cited his actions in blocking a federal judgeship for Ronnie White, the first black Supreme Court justice in his home state of Missouri.

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), the top Republican on the Judiciary panel, who met with Ashcroft earlier this week, said that the nominee “does not have a discriminatory bone in his body.”

But he acknowledged that Ashcroft “will have to convince members of the committee that he will enforce the laws of this land whether or not he agrees with them.”

Other Republicans also are stepping up their efforts to push the Ashcroft nomination through. Among them was Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a proponent of abortion rights. She made a point of meeting with Ashcroft on Thursday and expressed confidence that he would uphold federal law protecting access to abortion clinics, despite his strong personal opposition to abortion.

“In the end, I think he’ll be confirmed with bipartisan support,” Collins said.

Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) said that the GOP will stoutly support Ashcroft and make sure that he does not become a “sacrificial lamb.”

Bartlett said that Bush believes all his Cabinet nominees, including Ashcroft, will be confirmed.

The president-elect on Thursday also named two longtime confidants--Karl Rove and Joe Allbaugh--to top posts and met with 17 high-tech leaders to discuss issues that directly affect their industry, such as education, immigration and regulatory relief.

As senior advisor to the president, Rove will oversee the White House’s political operation and the office of public liaison--as well as the office of strategic initiatives.

Allbaugh, who managed Bush’s presidential campaign and served for a time as his gubernatorial chief of staff, will become director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Along with Karen Hughes, another longtime Bush advisor, Rove and Allbaugh have been dubbed “the iron triangle”--fiercely loyal aides who control access to Bush and enjoy his unquestioned trust.

“It’s a wonderful pleasure to announce ‘the triangle’ has been completed,” Bush said. Hughes earlier was named counselor to the president.

Rove, 50, previously served as chief strategist for Bush’s presidential campaign. Earlier, he was president of a public affairs consulting firm here.

Bush called Allbaugh “an individual with extraordinary management capabilities who can be counted on in times of need.”

Before coming to Texas, Allbaugh was the deputy secretary of transportation for Oklahoma.

On another personnel matter, it appeared certain that, despite months of rumors about his imminent departure, FBI Director Louis J. Freeh will stay put.

“We never have been looking for an FBI director. Our nation has an FBI director. And the FBI is a 10-year statutory term,” Fleischer said. Freeh’s 10-year term expires in 2003.

Bush also named Nick Calio assistant to the president for legislative affairs.

Calio, 46, served in the former Bush administration as deputy assistant to the president in charge of relations with the House. An attorney, Calio has worked in a number of lobbying firms in Washington.

Also Thursday, Congress gave a warm welcome to the first Bush Cabinet choice to undergo a confirmation hearing: Commerce Secretary-designate Don Evans.

Democratic and Republican members of the Senate Commerce Committee praised Evans and predicted that he would receive swift approval, perhaps in the first week after the inauguration.

Evans told the committee that he intends to do all he can to foster economic growth but sidestepped questions on specific issues pending before the sprawling agency, including whether the new administration will use Census Bureau numbers that have been adjusted by experts as the basis for national population counts. The issue is likely to affect congressional redistricting and the balance of power in the House.

Evans said that he wants to make no decisions before the bureau comes up with a final report, which may be completed in February.

Bush intends to spend much of today packing. On Saturday, he is to host Republican governors at his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

*

Times staff writers Robert L. Jackson, Paul Richter, Eric Lichtblau and Nick Anderson contributed to this story from Washington.

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Profile:

Joe Allbaugh

* Age: 48

* Education: Bachelor of arts, Oklahoma State University, 1974

* Experience: Oklahoma deputy transportation secretary, 1991-94; gubernatorial campaign chairman for George W. Bush, 1994; Bush gubernatorial chief of staff, 1995-99; Bush presidential campaign manager, 1999-2000

* Family: Wife, Diane; three children

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Profile:

Karl Rove

* Age: 50

* Education: University of Utah, University of Texas at Austin, George Mason University

* Experience: Chief strategist for President-elect George W. Bush’s presidential campaign; president of Karl Rove & Co., an Austin, Texas, public affairs firm, 1981-99; deputy chief of staff to Texas Gov. Bill Clements, 1981; executive director of the Fund for Limited Government, 1977-78; special assistant to GOP National Committee Chairman George Bush, 1973-74

* Family: Wife, Darby; one son