I think it's not a natural question for Tony, he's never been directly involved in that to my knowledge.

I think Randy's a self absorbed jerk who thinks WAY too much of himself, with poor self-awareness of it, which is why he has to keep a pretty low profile from what he did in the past -- noone can stand him and you are more at risk than benefit from affiliating him with your products. It was pretty clear he was trying to twist the interview to his agenda at one point, with the whole CVA thing. Perhaps he avoided the smokeless issue because he did not feel he could ask the question in a way that Tony would respond to his (Randy's) benefit?

Interviews, here and in the general media, are rarely unbiased. They are always twisted and directed by the questions asked and they way in which they are asked (see the CVA/soft barrel exchange).