Bush took Enron’s advice

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Former Enron chairman Kenneth Lay, a friend and backer of President Bush, gave the White House recommendations for appointments to a federal energy commission last spring, and Bush eventually appointed two of the people on Enron’s list, the White House said Thursday.

Lay gave the list of names to Clay Johnson, Bush’s personnel director, White House spokeswoman Anne Womack said. Among the eight or so names were Pat Wood, now chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Nora Brownell, a member of the commission.

"It was one of many, many recommendations that (Johnson) received" from industry executives, members of Congress and state officials, Womack said.

Disclosure of Lay’s recommendations to the White House come as congressional panels investigate the relationship between Houston-based Enron Corp. and the Bush administration. The Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating the company’s accounting practices and the role played by its auditor, Arthur Andersen, which has acknowledged destroying Enron-related documents.

A senator leading an investigation said Thursday that Enron had not cooperated in providing important information on the complex web of partnerships used by the company to conceal massive debts. The company’s attorney said it doesn’t have the documents sought.

As head of a major campaign donor wielding significant influence in Washington, D.C., Lay enjoyed access to top government officials of both parties. The White House has acknowledged that Lay met once privately last year with Vice President Dick Cheney, who headed a task force that formulated the administration’s national energy policy.

Lay disclosed the list of Enron favorites in an interview being broadcast today on PBS’ "NOW with Bill Moyers."

"I brought a list, we certainly presented a list. … As I recall, I signed a letter which in fact had some recommendations as to people that we thought would be good (FERC) commissioners," Lay said in the interview, which was taped last May.