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Non-Tech : The ENRON Scandal -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Baldur Fjvlnisson who wrote (3718)	3/28/2002 11:33:43 PM
From: Mephisto	Respond to of 5185

Lieberman sends letters asking scope of contacts March 27, 2002, 10:33PM By DAVID IVANOVICH Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- Sen. Joseph Lieberman sent letters to the White House and members of Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force Wednesday, seeking information about their contacts with the once politically influential Enron Corp. Lieberman, D-Conn., chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, wrote to White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and other administration officials in his effort to ascertain what role Enron may have played in the drafting of the national energy policy. Lieberman also wants to know whether regulators could have done something to head off the bankruptcy. "It is not merely the magnitude of the collapse that makes this a matter of significant public concern," Lieberman wrote. "Rather, what is particularly troubling is the extent to which Enron's unraveling appeared to catch the regulatory and financial communities unaware." Lieberman asked both the White House and the U.S. Archivist to turn over communications between Enron and White House officials from both the Bush and Clinton administrations, dating back to 1992. Besides seeking information about the national energy policy, Lieberman is trying to learn whether White House officials in either administration intervened on Enron's behalf in the company's dealings with eight separate federal agencies. The entities in question are the Energy, Labor and Commerce departments, as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Export Import Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corp. Lieberman's committee also has issued subpoenas to Enron and 27 current and former board members to obtain their records of contacts with the White House and federal regulators. "We have received the letter. We're reviewing it," said White House spokeswoman Anne Womack. "I think the American people are sick and tired of these open-ended fishing expeditions." An attorney for Enron could not be reached for comment. chron.com