GEORGE W. BUSH: Would Slam Door on DOJ Tobacco Suit
Texas Gov. George W. Bush (R), if elected President, would halt the Justice Department's lawsuit against the tobacco industry to recover Medicare costs, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. "I think we've had enough suits. I don't think you can sue your way to policy," Bush said, adding, "We've had this giant series of lawsuits that the industry settled where the states ended up with a lot of money. I think what to do now is work on preventing children from smoking and at the same time keep the compact (between the states and the industry) in place." The Clinton administration filed suit against the tobacco industry last year, seeking more than $500 billion in damages for the cost of treating tobacco-related diseases. Despite efforts by Congress to quash the suit, the administration has continued to pursue the case. "The lawyers I talk to don't feel they (the Justice Department) have a case," Bush concluded (Klein, 8/6).
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