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DOJ Officials Will Testify Says Judge
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ShareJune 01, 2006 3:42 PM
In a new twist, a federal judge in Washington today ordered that senior DOJ officials, including Associate AG Robert McCallum, be deposed in a lawsuit seeking information about why the department drastically reduced the amount of damages it was seeking in a suit against the big tobacco companies.
Last June, following a lengthy trial, DOJ officials announced they were cutting the amount of damages they were seeking from tobacco companies, from $130 billion to $14 billion.
That decision prompted the lead attorney in the government's case Sharon Eubanks, pictured above, to quit saying that Bush political appointees undercut the government's case against big tobacco.
"The amount sought by the U.S. government was dictated by the political appointees of the Department of Justice," Eubanks, a 22-year veteran, told ABC News last year. "It was very difficult to work with political officials," she said, "I did not receive their support or encouragement."
Critics of the tobacco industry suspect that McCallum was specifically involved in the decision to seek lesser penalties because of politics. McCallum was a partner at Alston & Bird, a powerful law firm that had represented RJ Reynolds, though McCallum did not specifically work on tobacco issues.
Today's order is in response to a FOIA lawsuit brought by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) seeking information on why the penalties were cut.
June 1, 2006 | Permalink | User Comments (7)
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Watching the Bush regime collapse and "smooch" on every corporate entity they can attach themselves unto will have a desired effect that Bush can't see coming. Kind of like cancer that develops over a long time and allows you to deny its existence or cause, in a very scientific "voodoo" that the Bush Cheney cabal are expert at. If only their corporate "peeps" were good at employing people for profit making instead of destroying people with profit taking. Their short term eyesight will have its so very just reward right around the corner or "tipping point" as it were..or soon will be...
Posted by: frodaddy | Jun 1, 2006 4:24:06 PM
There is a cancer in the Presidency.
Posted by: Leo Belldaere | Jun 1, 2006 8:50:06 PM
The last threat is the ballot box... this too will be rid of.
Posted by: alfred Lengley | Jun 2, 2006 1:19:01 AM
Well what do you expect when the whitehouse is filled with women who smoke in private but not in public? By the way does the First Lady smoke and which brand does she prefer?
Posted by: DCwatch | Jun 2, 2006 7:51:09 AM
Funny,IT dont take a very smart person to know that this goverment is so corupt everyones gettin paid. and there is no-one even looking.cause they all got a hand out95 percent of this country is on the take..the questionis how long do we let our elected officials steal they are all crooks in my opinion.
Posted by: David g. | Jun 2, 2006 8:36:46 AM
Hmmm. This certainly shouldn't surprise anyone. Of course innocent until proven guilty. It is only a theory. Blah blah blah. By now there should be enough instances of abuse of power and corruption to convince the staunchest Republican that stench emanating from teh White House is real.
Thanks once again ABC News.
Posted by: Boo Man | Jun 2, 2006 9:52:27 AM
Where were the Democrats when this was this was going on? I'm pretty sure that the left was involved as well in reducing the penalty. It's not just Bush's cabal. There are many with their hands in the cookie jar. Why should the government/states shakedown tobacco to collect damages anyway? They have been collecting taxes on tobacco products for decades. Stop being little girls and save tax payors the cost of paying large lawyer fees for yet another court battle. Let tobacco companies sell a legal product and employ thousands of people and raise families. We all should know by now, its not about the health and welfare of our citizens, it's about who gets the big money.
Posted by: ofortheluvofit | Jun 2, 2006 10:06:57 AM
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