HIRES

Ashcroft to Head Ethics at Blackwater

Bush attorney general joins firm now known as Xe.

Not everyone loves John Ashcroft, but it’s fair to say that his reputation is better than Xe Services, the military contracting firm formerly known as Blackwater. The former Bush attorney general will bring his comparatively spotless record to the company as its ethics chief, heading a “subcommittee on governance,” Xe announced Wednesday morning. “This is a company with a strong history of service to its country, and a reputation of best-in-class offerings to its public and private customers,” Ashcroft said in a statement. Its reputation tarred by allegations its employees shot civilians, bilked the government, and did drugs on the job, Blackwater changed its name in 2009, and the Ashcroft hire is the company’s latest step in an effort to restore its name—and its lucrative government business.