WARNING: This site deals only with the corporate corruption of science, and makes no inference about the motives or activities of individuals involved.
    There are many reasons why individuals become embroiled in corporate corruption activities - from political zealotry to over-enthusiastic activism; from gullibility to greed.
    Please read the OVERVIEW carefully, and make up your own mind.

OPINION ONLY

  • Quinn was a lawyer-lobbyist with the law firm, Arnold & Porter, which provided legal consulting work at the boardroom level with Philip Morris; the two companies have long been tightly allied. In the early 1990s, Quinn began to establish a reputation as a tobacco industry strategist by working closely with the law-firm's 'grassroots PR agency' APCO & Associates, which originally provided exclusive services to Philip Morris.

His main associates at Philip Morris USA (the domestic company) were the executives Ellen Merlo and Steve Parrish who ran the division dealing with Science & Technology and with Smoking & Health issues. Quinn was the legal consultant on the formation and operations of The Advancement of Sound Science Coalition (TASSC) which promoted the 'junk-science' message to the gullible, and he worked on both the tort-reform projects and Steve Milloy's later junkscience Internet projects. At the same time he was actively supporting the Democrats, and he became a key advisor to Al Gore and worked on his Democrat presidential campaign.

When Bill Clinton became President in January 1992 Quinn became Al Gore's Chief-of-Staff and a few years later he transferred over to the Clinton White House to provide support as Counsel to the President. He didn't last long. Quinn left mid-term to set up his own lobbying outfit "And makes some real money," as he explained to friends.

However, he retained close ties with the White House and with his friend the Deputy Attorney-General Eric Holder (now Attorney-General in the Obama Administration),

He is blamed for having advised President Clinton and Attorney-General Holder to give the renegade financial rip-off merchant Marc Rich a pardons in the final days of the Clinton Presidency, which did more to sully Clinton's reputation than Whitewater. This was only one of 140 pardons that Clinton granted in his last hours in office, but Rich's ex-wife Denise was a major political contributor who reportedly donated $450,000 to the Clinton library foundation. Rich's lawyer, amazingly, was later the aide to George Bush, Scooter Libby and Mrs. Rich later made large contributions to Hillary Clinton's successful Senate bid.

Quinn joined Republican strategist Ed Gillespie (A long-term lobbyist with the Republican lobby shop Halley Balfour) in creating a highly successful 'bipartisan' lobby firm under the name Quinn Gillespie & Associates (aka QGA) which was later merged into giant media conglomerate, WPP.

Gillespie himself was employed as counsel in the White House of George W Bush, so this bipartisan merger gave the firm considerable insider advantage whichever party holds the Presidency.

Some key documents

1989 Jan 13: He was one of the corporate lawyers (along with Bankoff of King & Spalding, and the rest of the tobacco industry's Ad Hoc Tort-reform Committee) being send draft legislation for the Texas Draft Products Liability Legislation.

1989 Jan 16: As part of the tobacco industry 'Ad Hoc tort-reform committee' he is getting legal advice on some tort-reform matter. (Document confidential still) [Bates 8770940719409]

1990 June 18: At a Texas Tort Reform working lunch with APCO's Neal Cohen and "all the usual suspects".

1990 July 13-15: an Industry-wide Planning Conference has been organized by David Zelkowitz (PM) to be held at the golf-tennis resort of Greenbrier (West Virginia). Those invited are the key tort-reform lobbyists and lawyers from the various companies (Neal Cohen, Jim Goold, etc). Also their wives. The corporate jet will fly them down.

    Participants are: Gene Ainsworth (Joy); Neal Cohen (Ellen Mignoni); Joe Doss (Michele); Jim Goold (Dabne); Dave Harfst (guest); Richard Kingham (Justine); Karen Kremer (Ernie Dubester); John David Myles (Mary Helen); Kurt Malmgren (Gail); Roger Mozingo (Wanda); Fred Newman (Mary); Henry J. Oechler, Jr. (guest); Jack Quinn (Diane); Stu Rickerson (guest); J. Bernard Robinson (Bess); David Zelkowitz (Suzy)

1990 Aug 6: Now working with Philip Morris on political matters to do with Reps Waxman and Bliley. Seeking compromise on labeling regulations and advertising restrictions.

1990 Nov 5: Clare Purcell on PM USA (budget control) suggests cutting budgets by $1m on tort-reform "if David Zelkowitz paid for some disbursements (particularly APCO fees), and if we restricted Jack Quinn's (Arnold & Porter) involvement by increasing PM USA's in-house counsel's day-to-day involvement .

1991 May 14: PM internal memo: "In an effort to streamline our use of outside counsel to advise on lobbying, ethics, campaign finance, and similar issues, Arnold & Porter has been designated to serve as national counsel in these areas on both the state and federal levels. Jack Quinn, an Arnold & Porter partner, will be our primary contact. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/uvg77a00/pdf

1991 Sep 10: Texas Political Activity report Has signature

1992 Jan 21: He is running a small team (Sonia Fois and Kathy Wallman) working on a Compliance Program with Philip Morris. This is the legitimate legal activity of advising the staff of PM (via preparation of a manual) on all their legislative reporting and other requirements, both for federal agencies (FDA, EPA, etc) and the States.

1992 Jan 28: Philip Morris's "Procurements & Payments" file for the Scientific Affairs (See last pages) lists HINES & QUINN as being owed $100,000 for some activity. Hines is closely linked to Right-wing and CIA causes.

1992 Feb: Key lobbyists and lawyer with Arnold and Porters
    Worked with Peter Grossi and Sonia Fois, David Nicoli for the tobacco industry

1992 Apr: With his associate Sonia Fois, he is at A&P working on political problems with the regulation of tobacco ingredients.

1992–93: Most of his correspondence to Philip Morris at this time is privileged. He is advising on tobacco ingredients disclosure, and on excise tax matters.

1992 Apr 27: He is helping PM comply with Republican and Democratic Convention requirements.

As you may know the Corporate Affairs Departments of Philip Morris Companies and the operating companies are planning a variety of activities in connection with the upcoming Democratic and Republican Conventions which will take place in July and August. In that regard, Jack Quinn and I spoke today with Corporate Affairs personnel in the New York and Washington offices to discuss the various compliance issues which are likely to arise as we proceed with these activities.

1992 Nov: Named assistant to Al Gore shortly after Clinton's win in Nov 1992.

1992 Dec 2: The Inter-Association Council (IAC) [presumably a subsection of the American Advertising Federation (AAF)] already has him listed to attend informal meeting after the first of the year. Wallace S Snyder, the president of the AAF has set ithe meeting up and is advising Sam Chilcote at the Tobacco Institute.

1993 Jan 11: Ellen Merlo ("Czarina") is initiating the development of TASSC. She spells out to her staff the jobs they are responsible for and points out that

"Our overriding objective is to discredit the EPA Report. To get the EPA to adopt a standard for Risk Assessment for all products."

"In addition we will ask APCO to utilize the services of Jack Quinn on this one. Will do in meeting next week".

1993 Jan 13: He is listed as Philip Morris legal counsel Government Affairs (they must have known by then that he was joining the Administration)

1993 Jan 20: Quinn leaves A&P (theoretically?) to work as legal Counsel to Vice President Al Gore.

1993 Jan 23: National Journal article exposes him as a tobacco lawyer "A New Whiff of Tobacco's Influence" - an article that attacks Clinton for selecting four tobacco lawyers as aides.

1993 June: Quinn moved up to become Chief-of-Staff and Counselor to VP Al Gore

1993 Sept: Wayne Valis of Valis Associates report to the members of CURE. He has sent them a memo from Lewis R Freeman of the Society of Plastic Industries, re a White House meeting with CURE, over the "Pending Regulatory Executive Order." White House participants included:

• Jack Quinn, Chief of Staff to the Vice President (who presided) [He was also a lawyer-lobbyist for tobacco, before and after his WH/Gore service],
• Sally Katzen, Administrator of the Office of Information & Regulatory Affairs within the Office of Management and Budget;
• Robert Rubin, Assistant to the President, for Economic Policy; and
• Heather Ross (whose position, l do not recall being specified) [She was Special Assistant to the President]

Invitees to, the 2-hour meeting, in addition to me [Freeman], were representatives of the:

• Business Roundtable (Deputy Executive Director Pat Engman and the BRTs General Counsel);
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Jeff Joseph, Vice President, Domestic Policy)
• NationaU Association of Manufacturers, Jim Carty, (Vice President,. Government Regulation and Competition);
• National Federation of Independent Business (Wendy Lechner, Manager, Research and Policy Development);
• National Small Business United (John Gailes, Exec. Vice President).
• General Motors (Ronald Sykes, Sr Washington Representative); and
• lndustrial Biotechnology Association (two company representatives who are on the association's Board, one of whom, is with the agricultural busincss part of Monsanto).

1993 Sep: The Clinton Administration comes under fire from a religious non-smoking group for hiring tobacco lawyers: "Clinton appointments from Tobacco law firms"
    • Mickey Kantor is one of several lawyers in the Clinton Administration who enters government directly from law firms retained by tobacco interests; tobacco interests which gave $978,000 in "soft" contributions to the Democratic National Committee.
    • Ron Brown, Secretary of Commerce,, belonged to a law firm that represented the Smokeless Tobacco Council and the Booke Group Ltd,, a company that includes tobacco interests.
    • Richard W. Riley, Secretary of Education, comes to Washington from a South Carolina law firm that lobbies for Philip Morris Co. in that state.
    • Jack Quinn, Counsel to Vice-President Gore, Jr., enters government from Arnold & Porter, a Washington, law firm also retained by Philip Morris Co:

1995 Aug 10: Listed in internal White House memo faxed to B&W [640570452]

1995 Sep 21: Sam Skolnik was putting together a profile on John "Jack" Quinn who was just named as Clinton's Chief Counsel. Quinn worked at A&P throughout the 80's & 90s. This reporter believes that he worked on the Philip Morris account from 1990 to 1992. Legal Times article 2046618092B

1995 Sep 21: Was Clinton's Chief Counsel from then to 1997 when he left "to make money."

1995 Nov: Transferred to the White House as Counsel to President Clinton.

1996: He is getting copied by Victor Schwartz at the PLCC (tort-reform coalition) re product liability problems.

1996 Feb:: He later says he "left the White House to make money" ... but puts the date at February 1997.

1996 May 13: The tobacco industry comes under attack when Mississippi Attorney-General Mike Moore begins recruiting other State Attorneys-General to jointly and separately sue the tobacco industry for recovery of Medicad funds.This is a list of lobbying activities with (names bracketed) both staff and employed lobbyists.

Jack Quinn is designated by the coalition of tobacco companies as the person to

• brief the Democratic National Committee,
• brief Administration officials
• brief Congressional leaders and Tobacco State members (Blue Dogs).
• brief Democrat members of the Commerce Committee, and Labor Committees
• brief House and Senate Democrats

1996 Nov 19: Ben Wities, a reporter for the Legal Times, has woken up to the fact that Quinn, as ex-Presidential Counsel the White House is involved in coordinating actions between the Justices Department and the FDA. He want's Philip Morris to comment on whether Quinn should be involved in such activities. Quinn now represented Philip Morris — who constantly attacked the FDA..

1997: Listed as a registered tobacco lobbyist with A&P

1997 Jul 17: Registered Lobbyist with A&P for Philip Morris on Product Liability

1998 Feb 19: Quinn and C Boyden Gray — both tobacco industry lobbyists and ex-White House Presidential Counsel (but from opposite parties) were debating on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) the question of President Clinton using executive privilege. Gray had promoted Executive Orders while in the Bush White House, and Quinn in the Clinton White House. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law/jan-june98/priv (etc.)

1998 Jun 29: In the Oklahoma deposition of Andrew Whist, he was asked:
Q. Do you know a man named Jack Quinn?
A. Jack Quinn? No.
Q. Do you know a man named Neal Cohen? Are you familiar with an organization called APCO?
A. No.
    Which shows just how fast a man's brain can deteriorate under the influence of tobacco salaries and years of intrigue!

1999: Spring; Hired as an attorney (along with some Republican lawyers) to represent Marc Rich.

1999 Mar: This is Al Gore's supporter list for his run for President in 2000. Gore 2000 is not accepting PAC funds, tobacco or sugar money. However, prominent Philip Morris tobacco staffer-lobbyist Tina Flournoy is also on the list as campaign Finance Director (she was also Peter Knight's Deputy in the 1996 campaign).

Peter Knight (Wunder & Knight law firm), who is Gore's closest friend, is busy lobbying corporations, "stressing there is plenty of "room at the table" for individuals who have not previously been Gore supporters." Clearly the tobacco industry expects to put its feet under the table via proxy - through coalition partners who are not tobacco companies.

2001 Jan: Advised Clinton over the Rich Pardon Scandal in the last days of his Presidency. Scooter Libby was also a lawyer involved in the Marc Rich pardon. Rich was a fugitive trader in illegal arms sales to Iran. His wife was a generous donor to Democrat campaigns. Huffington Post and Times

2001 Feb 8: He was the attorney representing Marc Rich at the US House Government Reform Committee hearings into Clinton's pardons. Pardon hearings
    See also the video clip

2003 June: Congress Watch - Aides/lobbyists With Revolving Door Connections

Quinn, Gillespie and Associates was paid $590,000 by the Chamber of Commerce, $180,000 by the Civil Justice Reform Group and $20,000 by Mass Mutual Life Insurance to represent them on class action and other legislation. Its class-action lobbyists include:

• Jack Quinn, former counsel to President Bill Clinton and former chief of staff to Vice President Al Gore; and
• Ed Gillespie, who was a senior aide to House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R- Texas) and has been identified in recent news reports as a top candidate to become chairman of the Republican National Committee.

    Gillespie is considered a leading strategist behind House efforts to pass class-action legislation. Roll Call reported that the firm took in $9.9 million in 2002, making it Washington's 12th most lucrative lobbying firm. www.citizens.org

2007 July 1: /E News Ltd's outside lobby team - "a veritable political Noah's Ark". Republicans like Ed Gillespie. NY senator Alfonse D'Amato and the firm headed by NY mayor Rudolph Giuliani + former members of Congress and Clinton aides and officials like Jack Quinn. former White House counsel. ....
    [NYTimes article]

CONTRIBUTORS:hrh2 jrtm rwm2