Reps. Waxman and Meehan have released details about how Justice Department officials inappropriately pressured Professor Max H. Bazerman to change his testimony. Ugh! Only the most immoral money-grubbers can side with the tobacco industry! This is horrible. Text from the letter:
We are writing to request that you investigate whether the Justice Department inappropriately pressured a key government witness to weaken his testimony in the landmark tobacco case. We ask that you immediately add this investigation to your ongoing review of whether improper political interference led the Justice Department to reduce its request for penalties against the industry from $130 billion to $10 billion.
http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0620-25.htm
Well, I am certainly glad that they are calling for an investigation. It is a start.
Here is more from today's Washington Post:
Harvard University business professor Max H. Bazerman said a career trial lawyer told him senior Justice officials wanted him to change his recommendation that the court appoint a monitor to review whether it was appropriate to remove senior tobacco company management. Bazerman said the lawyer was passing along the "strong request" the week before Bazerman was to take the witness stand on May 4 in the government's landmark racketeering case against the industry.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/19/AR2005061900691.html
Why isn't this on every news station in the god damn country? This is a big fucking deal!
Millions of people have died from smoking. The tobacco industry has preyed on children for years. The government is trying to hold them accountable and we have the Justice officials sabatoge the penalty that was to be paid. It was suppose to be $130 billion. $10 billion is clearly a fraction of what the tobacco companies were suppose to pay and now the truth of how this decrease occured is starting to come out.
The corruption in our government continues to amaze and sicken me.