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Release| For Release:
April 11, 2000 |
Contact: Craig McDonald
512-472-9770 |
Cornyn Gives Aetna a Sweetheart Deal
Time for the AG to Come Clean on Aetna Contributions
Statement of Craig McDonald, Director of Texans for Public Justice
Austin, TX: Attorney General John Cornyn’s settlement with Aetna Insurance appears to be a sweetheart deal for the state’s biggest HMO.The Aetna deal looks like the first grant of corporate immunity from a founder of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA). The deal sends a clear signal that there is no law and order in Texas for corporate wrongdoers.
Essentially, Aetna has agreed to stop breaking the law. It will pay no fines or penalties for its past conduct and the taxpayers will be stuck with the bill for a multi-year investigation. If Aetna executives aren’t already secretly contributing to Cornyn’s RAGA, they ought to be after this sweetheart deal.
The insurance industry was a big backer of Cornyn in his campaign for Attorney General. Insurance industry PACs and executives gave Cornyn $156,000 between 1997 and 1999. One recent published report speculated that Aetna is among the secret donors to RAGA.
Now that Cornyn has let Aetna off the hook, he needs to answer whether they are big contributors to his secret political fund.
The public has a right to know whether its Cornyn who’s been selling insurance to Aetna.
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Texans for Public Justice is non-profit, non-partisan research
and advocacy group that tracks money in Texas politics.