June 17, 1997
President William Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, D.C.
Dear President Clinton:
Recent news reports indicate that your brother-in-law, Hugh Rodham, is part of the coalition of plaintiff's lawyers now negotiating with the tobacco industry. These reports further indicate that Mr. Rodham has met or communicated regularly with Bruce Lindsey, your White House associate who is serving as the White House point person on the tobacco settlement talks.
Given that the White House has been involved in facilitating or encouraging the tobacco settlement negotiations, and that you will be called on to make a decision on any such deal, your brother-in-law's involvement, especially in liaising with the White House, presents questions of ethics and special access. As you know, some of the pioneering plaintiff's lawyers involved in the negotiation stand to gain large sums of money as a result of any settlement achieved. Their particular interests may conflict with the general public health interest, which may favor different terms of settlement, or no settlement at all.
The appearance of a conflict-of-interest is all the more troublesome because Mr. Rodham has not previously been known to be heavily involved in tobacco litigation nor in product liability practice. Even if he were so experienced, his high-profile participation would still appear to a skeptical public to be a consequence of his special access to the White House, as a unique kind of ex parte lawyer.
To alleviate concerns that public health policy may improperly be influenced by familial ties, you should request that Mr. Rodham immediately withdraw from participation in the negotiations. He should never have exposed you to such a potentially compromising situation in the first place. Before it gets worse, you can put a stop to it.
Sincerely,
Ralph Nader
P.O. Box 19312
Washington, D.C. 20036