Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) attempted to corner former Attorney General John Ashcroft into condemning any presidential direction of the Justice Department against his political opponents—even those who have broken the law.
The exchange came as Ashcroft testified today on Capitol Hill during confirmation hearings regarding the nominations of Todd Blanche as Attorney General and Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence.
"Mr. Blanche has said that he believes the President has both the right and the duty to use the Justice Department to go after his enemies," Schiff opened. "Do you subscribe to that view?"
Ashcroft, ever the spry one at the age of 84, was ready for the trap. It's unclear if Schiff was ready for the response.
"I believe that the Attorney General of the United States has the right and responsibility to enforce the law uniformly, and if the law has been broken by the President’s 'enemies,' he has a duty," Ashcroft fired back. "They do not become exempt from following the law merely by their enmity to the president of the United States."
"As a matter of fact, the people who break the law are in enmity with the people of the United States," he said, adding, "We used to call people who break the law, 'public enemies.'"
Former Attorney General John Ashcroft runs circles around @SenAdamSchiff: "I believe that the Attorney General of the United States has the right and responsibility to enforce the law uniformly, and if the law has been broken by the President’s 'enemies,' he has a duty. They do… pic.twitter.com/l9acE5P2qH
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 16, 2026
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Yikes. Ashcroft is as razor-sharp as ever here, turning Schiff's argument on its head. Not to mention, giving a fresh angle to the argument that President Trump is urging the DOJ to go after his personal enemies, when they're really trying to investigate enemies of the American people.
If this were a Rocky fight, you'd see Tony "Duke" Evers in Schiff's corner yelling at somebody to "throw the damn towel."
I was privileged yesterday to escort AG John Ashcroft (also a former governor and US Senator and state auditor and law firm founder!) to the White House. He’s one of the old-school gentlemen in too-short supply today. OG YAF-er! Today he testifies in support of @DAGToddBlanche! pic.twitter.com/oCHDbtnGgt
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) July 16, 2026
Schiff, though, has never been deterred by his own embarrassment or getting perpetually steamrolled by facts, so he tried the angle again. The disgraced Democrat, who has previously been censured for his role in spreading the Russia Collusion fiction, seemed dismayed that Ashcroft didn't find political affiliations to be an important factor in investigating crime.
He prodded, "If you do have a problem with that, please say so."
The former top law enforcement officer was not having it.
"I believe the president needs to be an advocate of strong law enforcement, and that includes enemies of his," he replied, leaving Schiff struggling not to sputter nonsensical gibberish straight from his pencil neck.
"If an enemy of the President goes out and conducts a violent crime, there's nothing wrong with the President calling the Attorney General and saying, 'I hope you do something about this violent crime,'" he asserted.
Some might watch the exchange and think they had just witnessed a violent crime.
.@SenAdamSchiff (D-CA) asks former AG Ashcroft if presidents can ask the AG to prosecute enemies:
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 16, 2026
Schiff: "If you do have a problem with that, please say so."
Ashcroft: "I believe the president needs to be an advocate of strong law enforcement and that includes enemies of his." pic.twitter.com/RlIZxyyfBo
It wasn't long before some conservative voices on social media celebrated Ashcroft's principled defense of equal justice under the law, a concept Schiff and his party have struggled with for decades.
Harmeet Dhillon, who serves as the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the DOJ, shared the clip and launched a series of fire emojis.
"Ashcroft’s analysis is perfect," another comment reads. "Schiff thinks (the) DOJ can’t 'go after' anyone who opposes DJT, as if opposing DJT gives one some type of immunity."
"Nothing better than seeing Schiff put in his place!" one viewer added.
Cheers to that.
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) July 16, 2026
Schiff’s selective outrage requires a heavy dose of historical amnesia.
He, of course, turned a blind eye for years to an administration that jailed mostly peaceful protestors from January 6th, jailed pro-life grandmothers who prayed at abortion clinics, had the DOJ target Catholic churches, sicced the FBI on concerned parents at school board meetings, labeling them domestic terrorists, tried to tap the phone lines of their political opponents, and attempted to jail President Trump in every manner conceivable.
Ashcroft’s reminder that the law applies equally to everyone exposes the hypocrisy at the heart of the modern Democratic playbook. It simultaneously exposes Schiff as little more than a wider-eyed, clearer-minded version of AOC.
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