Some Good News from Texas

"5 Executives Convicted of Fraud in First Enron Trial"
from the New York Times


In case you forgot:
According to the Center for Public Integrity, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft received nearly $61,000 from Enron executives and the company's political action committee during his 2000 Senate campaign. On January 10, 2002, Ashcroft and his chief of staff, David Ayres, recused themselves "in all matters arising out of allegations of misconduct by Enron Corporation due to the totality of the circumstances of the relationship between Enron and the attorney general."

The White House had also announced that in October 2001, Enron Chairman and CEO Kenneth Lay called two Cabinet secretaries in the Bush administration (then-Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and Commerce Secretary Don Evans) to express concerns about his company's financial straits.

Then-White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said there was nothing unusual about Lay's calls, which did not result in any government action on the company's behalf.

Enron executives were big contributors to President Bush's 2000 presidential campaign as well as to other candidates, both Democrats and Republicans.