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Cheney, Aides Met With Enron 6 Times in 2001 Counsel: Energy Policy Was Topic
Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, January 9, 2002; Page A03 The White House told Congress in a letter released yesterday that Vice
President Cheney or his aides met six times with Enron Corp.
representatives last year, including a session two months before the
energy trading company made the largest corporate bankruptcy filing in
American history. The meetings continued after President Bush released the energy policy
that Cheney's staff had developed, according to the letter. Five of the
meetings were with Cheney aides, and one was with the vice president. One
of the staff meetings occurred six days before Enron announced actions
that reduced its shareholder equity by $1.2 billion. Cheney met for half an hour on April 17 with Kenneth L. Lay, Enron's
chairman, according to a Jan. 3 letter by David S. Addington, the vice
president's counsel. The letter was written in response to a Dec. 4
request by Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), ranking minority member of the
House Committee on Government Reform, who released the correspondence. Addington wrote that Cheney and Lay "discussed energy policy matters,
including the energy crisis in California, and did not discuss information
concerning the financial position of the Enron Corporation." Cheney's office has resisted inquiries into the operations of his
energy policy task force by the General Accounting Office, the
investigative arm of Congress, and by Senate Democrats who are hoping to
measure Enron's influence on policy. The Houston-based company has longtime personal and financial ties to
Bush. Waxman said the letter "shows that the access provided to Enron far
exceeded the access provided by the White House to other parties
interested in energy policy." Bush released his energy plan on May 17, and Enron filed for bankruptcy
protection on Dec. 2. Addington's letter said Cheney's National Energy
Policy Development Group existed from Jan. 29 through Sept. 30, 2001. Addington said the group's staff met with Enron representatives on Feb.
22 and March 7. On April 9, the staff met with about two dozen
representatives of various utilities, including one from Enron. Cheney
aides met with officials of a German subsidiary of Enron on Aug. 7 and
with Enron representatives on Oct. 10. Enron announced huge losses on Oct.
16. "Enron did not communicate information about its financial position in
any of the meetings with the Vice President or with the National Energy
Policy Development Group's support staff," Addington wrote. He noted that Cheney and Lay served on a panel at the American
Enterprise Institute World Forum on June 24. "The panel was widely
attended and addressed energy matters," the counsel wrote. "There was no
discussion of information concerning the financial position of Enron
Corporation." A White House official said the meetings reflected the "open and
inclusive" approach of Cheney's energy task force. Bush told reporters on Dec. 28 that he is "deeply concerned about the
citizens of Houston who worked for Enron who lost life savings" when its
stock value collapsed. He said he supports moves by Congress and the
Securities and Exchange Commission to look into that issue. "I have had no
contact with Enron officials in the last six weeks," Bush said. Related Links Latest Business News Enron Is Target of Criminal Probe (The Washington Post, 1/10/02) Highway Safety Agency Faulted on Probes (The Washington Post, 1/10/02) U.S. Backs Fuel-Cell Cars (The Washington Post, 1/10/02) Full Business Section Full Washtech Section |
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