According to this story:
Former [Canadian] prime minister Brian Mulroney tried to contact an American cabinet secretary [then-U.S. commerce secretary Don Evans] on behalf of Research In Motion Ltd. (TSX:RIM) during RIM's legal battle with NTP Inc., according to an internal [USPTO] e-mail…
…The e-mail message says Mulroney's request reached the patent office's legal department, which gave Evans' office an explanation as to why the secretary should not speak to Mulroney about the NTP case…
Interesting read…
Previous Rethink(IP) coverage: USPTO explains the AWOL Anderson Declaration and NPT alleging that the USPTO engaged in improper communications with third party in Blackberry case.