Bush administration steps aside from buddies at Enron

Jan 21, 2002

Commerce Secretary Don Evans was contacted by Ken Lay, head of Enron, in October. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill was contacted by Ken Lay in November. And, as we all know, Lay was George Bush’s great good buddy – giving him big bucks in every election campaign since the early l990s.

Since Enron declared bankruptcy in December, the Bush administration has been a bit embarrassed by its ties to Enron. So they rush to point out that the administration did nothing when contacted by Lay.

And that is the point!

Enron just ruined the pensions of 20,000 people in its work force, and thousands more who had their pension money in 401(k) plans with Enron stock, plus laying off at least 4,000 so far.

If the administration in Washington were the defenders of the American people they claim to be, they would be outraged on behalf of all the ordinary people. They would have taken action against Enron and its management, starting with the big boss, Ken Lay.

They would have begun the process of getting all that money back that Lay socked away in offshore banks.

No. They did nothing!!!