Atty. Gen. Ashcroft Has Benign Lesions Removed

Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft had benign skin lesions removed from an ear and a shoulder last week, the Justice Department said.

Reporters noticed a small bandage on Ashcroft's ear Monday during a speech he gave at the Organization of American States. Justice officials acknowledged the medical procedure late Tuesday.

Ashcroft, 59, a former Missouri governor and U.S. senator, became attorney general in February.

Capt. David Ferguson, a physician at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., said Ashcroft did not suffer from any melanomas.