Day 025 - 16 Sep 94 - Page 69
1
2 Q. You do not see anything embarrassing about the use of
3 supposed complaints from school children by McDonald's
4 food in this context?
5 A. Not in the least. That is not my job, but if you are
6 asking me as a person, no, I do not. I was not in the
7 business of reviewing these press releases, as I said, so
8 I am not looking at it as a press release professional;
9 I am reading it as an advocate and it does not bother me
10 at all.
11
12 Q. It does not strike you as being a little bit undignified
13 -- cheap?
14 A. In Texas? No, sir.
15
16 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I have to bear in mind the Attorney General
17 of any State is elected by the voters?
18 A. Yes, your Lordship. In a couple of states they are
19 appointed by legislator as such, but in Texas, as well as
20 New York and California, those are all elected offices.
21
22 Q. It is important, if they are going to be elected in the
23 first place, that before their election and if they are
24 going to be re-elected after their election, that they get
25 as good a press as possible?
26 A. As a general rule, that is true.
27
28 Q. There will be some Attorneys General, that being so -- do
29 they belong to political parties as well generally? Are
30 they normally Democrate or Republican?
31 A. Yes, your Lordship, although activities as Attorneys
32 General tend to be cross-party. You cannot say that
33 because he is Democrat he is more likely to be
34 proconsumer.
35
36 Q. But they are politicians as well as lawyers?
37 A. If not the other way around, yes, your Lordship. In
38 the case of Attorney General Mattox -----
39
40 MR. JUSTICE BELL: This is not aimed at Americans. We have
41 plenty of politicians who claim as much media attention as
42 they possibly can and hope that it is good press rather
43 than bad; in recent years it has more often been the
44 second than the first. This is the way it works in the
45 States, is it, with Attorneys General as well as
46 mainstream politicians?
47 A. To put out a press release to tell the public what
48 they are doing, what they are up to. There is a -- it is
49 not always done to garner favour. Litigation may not be
50 positive. In fact, when we sued the Quaker Oat company we
51 advised General Mattox -----
52
53 Q. Very often it is to show the populous how active the
54 Attorney General is being with law enforcement and what a
55 good bloke, you understand that, he is. That is just
56 reality, is it not?
57 A. I think that would be fair, your Lordship. My
58 willingness to talk to the press was not based on a desire
59 to get my Attorney General re-elected or to get him not
60 re-elected, but for the Attorney General, yes.
