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On again off again with DOJ Lawsuit
Slated for trial in July, 2003 |
| President Bush’s First 100 Days: A Look at How the Special Interests Have Fared Tobacco Back in 1999, the Clinton administration filed a lawsuit against the tobacco industry, charging the industry had lied about the health effects of smoking and had engaged in racketeering. Congressional Republicans later tried to kill the lawsuit by nixing funds the Justice Department deemed necessary to pursue the case, a move they later dropped after Clinton vowed to veto appropriations bills that included the proposal. On the campaign trail, Bush expressed skepticism about the legal action, telling reporters that he hoped "the era of big government wouldn’t be replaced with an era of big lawsuits." At the same time, Bush was the top single recipient of contributions from tobacco companies, taking in more than $90,000 from the industry during 1999-2000. The industry threw parties in his honor during last year’s Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, and last January, US Tobacco wrote a $100,000 check to the Bush-Cheney Inaugural Fund. Months later, the tobacco lawsuit appears to be on its last legs. The Washington Post reports that Justice Department lawyers have told Attorney General John Ashcroft that they may be forced to drop the case because Bush’s proposed budget doesn’t include enough funding to keep the lawsuit alive. The White House, meanwhile, has had no comment on the issue since Bush took office last January. Source: Center for Responsive Politics |
"Justice Department Documents in Tobacco
Lawsuit Show Tobacco Industry Continues to Market to Kids and Deceive
Public"
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