VICE: Exclusive: Emails Show This Anti-Tobacco Crusader’s Close Relationship with JUUL

In a relationship critics call compromising though not necessarily illegal, the attorney general of Iowa has been communicating with and advising JUUL. Emails obtained by VICE show just how much JUUL Labs CEO Kevin Burns, who has shepherded the company through several months of controversy, has relied on AG Tom Miller, as the company has increasingly come under fire for selling an addictive product that appeals to teenagers. Hundreds of correspondences between JUUL and Miller’s office, obtained through a public records request, show the frequency of communication between the office of Iowa’s top lawyer and the controversial company as Miller helped handle requests from the media and other potential antagonists. …

Miller said nothing he has done is illegal and that he hasn’t accepted any money from JUUL, but an ethics expert said that his behavior is still questionable.

“Even where the actions by the AG do not violate the letter of the law, certain acts could violate the spirit of the law and undermine public confidence in government,” said Beth Rotman, director of money and politics in ethics at the think tank Common Cause. “This is certainly the case if there is an appearance that a public official is acting in the interest of a private business where he or she should be acting in the public interest.”