Ashcroft's Wife on the Defense

N E W  Y O R K, Jan. 16 -- The wife of attorney general nominee John Ashcroft says she's been surprised at the firestorm of criticism against her husband — particularly by women's groups.

Janet Ashcroft, a law professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C., revealed on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America that she had once been the victim of a sexual predator and that "his response to my situation was exactly the way any woman would want him to respond."

"I was attacked by a rapist, and John's response to me was absolutely perfect, which amazed me. He has no sisters. But his care for other people is just astounding. "

Mrs. Ashcroft said the incident happened when she was 21. She said she escaped her attacker, but that the next night he raped and stabbed his next victim.

Ashcroft, a conservative Republican, has been under increasing criticsm over his views on civil rights and, especially, his hard-line opposition to abortion.

Mrs. Ashcroft said she has been surprised at the criticism over his conservative views, especially suggestions that he would refuse to enforce laws that he did not support.

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"I think people who don't know him or groups that don't know him and don't examine him might wonder. But if you look at his record, he has such experience. He's been experienced as an attorney general of Missouri for eight years. He had to enforce thelaw and enforce the law as it is written. He was governor of Missouri for eight years and had to enforce the law even when he didn't agree with it.."

Democrats are expected today to question Ashcroft about his opposition to confirmation of a black Missouri judge, Ronnie White, to the federal bench; and his opposition to a voluntary school desegregation plan in St. Louis.

Mrs. Ashcroft would not comment on the White issue, saying that her husband would address it at the hearing later today.

She said despite the firestorm of criticism, that neither she nor her husband had second thoughts about going through the confirmation process.