The U.S. Justice Department has agreed to investigate whether politics influenced a recent decision to reduce the proposed sanctions in the government’s racketeering case against cigarette makers, lawmakers said on Tuesday.
The agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility plans to review the decision to scale back the proposed sanctions in the tobacco case from $130 billion to $10 billion, according to a letter the department’s inspector general sent to Democratic lawmakers in Congress, made available by Rep. Henry Waxman of California.
Democrats including Waxman last week called for an investigation after government lawyers asked a federal judge to order the major tobacco companies to fund a five-year, $10 billion quit smoking program if she found they violated racketeering laws.
