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egarded media firms (many headed by former government officials) whocan provide guidance to present your honest, consistent message.• Use “turf battles” to your advantage. Often, a rivalry simmers betweendifferent officials or agencies. Sometimes, the putative search for truth issubverted by an instinct to claim credit or rush to judgment. There is alsoa natural rivalry between committees in the legislative branch, versusenforcement agencies in the executive branch. After the catastrophediscussed above, federal working groups from different committees andagencies each sent questions and requests for documents. Each grouprushed to get the first major report on the tragedy published, and theiraccuracy suffered greatly. By working with counsel, the company wasable to streamline this process by providing one set of key documentssimultaneously and exploiting the different motives of the investigators.• Use criminal threats to your advantage: Officials do not like to seeother agencies threaten criminal prosecutions, because then it will causethe target to stop talking. If testimony is critical, a witness can seek partialor full immunity from Congress. With a majority vote in the House or twothirdsvote in a committee, Congress can petition a federal court to compela witness to give testimony under either “use” or “transactional” immunity,which can be used to leverage help for your client. 37Dealing with Congress is unusual and stressful. It presents unique legal and publicrelations pitfalls. No matter how prepared you are to handle and defend catastrophiclitigation, this area requires assistance from insiders.37 Louis Fisher, CONGRESSIONAL SUBPOENAS: THE POLITICS OF EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE (Carolina AcademicPress 2004).