doc-alert

Anne LandmanDOJ Should Reallocate Resources Away From Political Lawsuits, and
Towards Fighting Terrorism
Company/Source:   Philip Morris
Document Date: 15 Nov 2001
Length: 3 pages
Bates No. 2085780660/0662
URL of this Summary: http://tobaccodocuments.org/landman/2085780660-0662.html
URL of Document Images: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/sca20c00 

This 3 page document from the Philip Morris (PM) collection, dated November 15,
2001, argues that the federal government would be better off diverting funds
from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit against the tobacco industry
to concentrate on the fight against terrorism.  The arguments leverage the
September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. as a reason to stop the government's
investigation into the major American tobacco companies' conspiracy to defraud
the American people about the links between smoking and disease.  The paper
reveals corporate exploitation of the terrorism attacks on the U.S. as a shield
to try and stop investigation into its long history of wrongdoing.
On November 29, 2001 (just days after this document was written) the
investigative organization Center for Public Integrity revealed that the Bush
administration had done the bidding of the tobacco companies by inserting a
clause into the Financial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001 (a bill rushed through
Congress in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks) shielding U.S. tobacco companies
from foreign lawsuits that alleged cigarette smuggling and money laundering. At
the time, Canada, the European Union, the governors of Colombia, and other Latin
American countries had filed suits against Philip Morris, R.J.Reynolds and
British American Tobacco under civil RICO laws in U.S. federal and state courts.
Democrats objected to clause (which was inserted on the evening before the vote
on the bill), and it was removed.  The Center for Public Integrity's article
about the Bush administration's efforts to use the terrorism issue to shield the
American tobacco companies from lawsuits by foreign countries is available at
http://www.publicintegrity.org/report.aspx?aid=284

Quotes 

  In the wake of September 11, Attorney General Ashcroft has rightly commenced
an initiative designed to ensure that the Department of Justice is focused like
a laser beam on what all Americans want and need it to be--the prevention of
future terrorism in our country, and the prosecution and conviction of
terrorists. In order for these goals to be achieved, Mr. Ashcroft is right to
realize that DOJ has neither the time nor the resources to waste on
non-essential projects.

  One of the most obvious examples of currently misplaced priorities has been
the ongoing pursuit of the Clinton Administration's politically motivated--and
legally dubious--lawsuit against domestic tobacco manufacturers. Incredibly, as
our nation declares war on terrorism, the DOJ team that remains assigned to this
case has substantially increased its staffing and proposed funding levels...The
case should be dropped at once, and the lawyers,investigators and FBI agents
that are consumed by it today should be freed up to bolster our national
security.

  Mr. Ashcroft's Reallocation Plan Makes Clear that Things Will Have to Change.
In a major speech delivered November 8, the Attorney General outlined his vision
of reorganizing and mobilizing DOJ for the critical task of addressing the
terrorist threat. His remarks made clear that a major shift in emphasis will
need to occur to ensure our success in the new war:

  The war on terrorism has required adjustments by the American people, and so,
too, we must adjust. Our new mission requires a new way of doing business. When
terrorism threatens our future, we cannot afford to live in the past. We must
focus on our core mission and responsibilities, understanding that the
department will not be all things to all people. We cannot do everything we once
did because lives now depend on us doing a few things very well.

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----------------------

  Company 
  Philip Morris 
  Author 
  Author unknown; found in the area of Mark Berlind (Assistant General Counsel,
PM Worldwide Regulatory Affairs) 
  Region 
  United States 
  Named Organization 
  Civil Division 
  Congress 
  Criminal Division 
  Department of Justice 
  FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) 
  Judiciary Committee 
  Medicare 
  Microsoft 
  Office of Litigation Support 
  Senate 
  Tobacco Team 
  Washington Post 
  Named Person 
  Ashcroft, John -Senator (R) of MO, Chairman of Subcommittee on Consumer
Affairs 
  First appointed U.S. Attorney General Under GW Bush
  Clinton, William Jefferson (U.S. President, 1993-2001) 
  Myers, Matthew L., J.D. (Attorney, Coalition on Smoking OR Health Director) 
  Plaintiff
  Reno, Janet (U.S. Attorney General under Clinton Administration) 
  Schiffer, S. 
  Turley, J. 
  Type 
  REPT, REPORT, OTHER 
  Litigation 
  FEDA/Produced 
  Subject 
  Terrorism 

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Anne Landman
Center for Media and Democracy
TobaccoWiki Editor
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anneATtobaccodocuments.org 
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