Justice Dept. Official Faces Questioning

[Eugene]

Justice Dept. Official Faces Questioning

By PETE YOST
The Associated Press
Thursday, June 1, 2006; 11:14 AM

WASHINGTON -- A judge ruled Thursday that Associate Attorney General Robert McCallum
must undergo questioning in a lawsuit, a decision that is helpful to a private group
seeking records about the Justice Department's conduct in a landmark case against
the tobacco industry.

The action by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan is the latest problem related
to McCallum's nomination as the Bush administration's choice to become ambassador
to Australia.

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois is blocking McCallum's nomination over
allegations the No. 3 official at the Justice Department improperly influenced
the government's lawsuit against cigarette manufacturers.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington sued last year after the department
ignored the testimony of one of its own witnesses in the tobacco trial and reduced
the amount the Bush administration is seeking from the tobacco industry from $130
billion to $10 billion.

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Full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/01/AR2006060100819.html