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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: KLP who wrote (215004)	1/5/2002 9:17:34 PM
From: Mr. Palau	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769667

Enron Corp.'s Lay One of Bush's Longest, Most Loyal Supporters By Heidi Przybyla Washington, Jan. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Enron Corp. Chairman Kenneth Lay, whose company filed the biggest bankruptcy case in U.S. history last month, was one of President George W. Bush's earliest and most loyal supporters. Lay raised more than $100,000 for Bush's campaign, provided Enron's corporate jet to shuttle the then-presidential candidate during the election campaign and was mentioned as a candidate for Treasury secretary. Enron and its employees together were Bush's 12th-largest contributor in the 2000 election, at $113,800. The company and employees contributed almost $2.4 million to candidates, with 72 percent going to Republicans. The relationship between the White House and Enron, which collapsed after a seven-week stock slide that erased $26 billion in market value, is drawing attention on Capitol Hill, where Democrats have begun a series of investigations. ``There's no company that has closer ties to this administration than Enron,'' said Phil Barnett, chief Democratic counsel for the Government Reform Committee, one of the panels investigating those links. ``Because they've refused to provide information about those contacts it's proving harder than it should be for us to unravel.'' Senator Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut Democrat who was Al Gore's running mate in the 2000 campaign against Bush, said he'll look into Lay's role in the formulation of Bush's energy policy. The executive was one of a handful allowed to make suggestions directly to Vice President Dick Cheney, architect of the policy that called for increased oil-drilling opportunities and reduced government regulation. `Good Friends' Bush hasn't had any contact with Enron or its officials for at least seven weeks, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said today. Lay in December of 2000 described Bush and Cheney as his ``good friends.'' ``I have been a very strong supporter for a very long time,'' he said as part of a response to speculation about his candidacy for Treasury secretary. Lay, along with Enron and Enron executives, were the former Texas governor's ``No. 1 money patron during his runs for governor,'' funneling $312,000 to his war chest during his 1994 and 1998 campaigns, said Craig McDonald, a spokesman for Texans for Public Justice, a nonpartisan research group that tracks money in Texas politics. The relationship was also personal: ``From use of corporate jets to free hot dogs at Enron field, it's been a very close relationship,'' McDonald said. Lay was one of several candidates, most of them securities executives, mentioned for the U.S. Treasury secretary post. Walter Shipley, former chairman of Chase Manhattan Corp., John Hennessy, chairman of private equity for Credit Suisse First Boston Inc. and William McDonough, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, were also mentioned. Enron provided Bush with its jet on at least 10 occasions during the election, more than any other company, according to a report by the Center for Responsive Politics that reviewed campaign finance records for the year ending in January of 2000. Bush paid about $30,000 for the service. As of January 31st of that year, Bush led the presidential pack in corporate jet use, reimbursing 42 companies roughly $227,700 for about 117 flights, according to the report. quote.bloomberg.com