Matalin Details Cheney-Enron Meetings

NewsMax.com ^ | Friday, Jan. 11, 2002 10:08 a.m. EST | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[Jean S]

Mary Matalin, senior advisor to both President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, described for the first time publicly Friday morning a series of meetings Cheney had with Enron officials before the energy giant collapsed last month.

Matalin also decried the media's efforts to draw parallels between Enron's collapse and ex-President Clinton's Whitewater scandal, telling talk radioman Don Imus, "They act like there's some billing records or some cattle scam or some fired travel aides or some blue dress."

But, complained the top White House aide, "There's no there, there... They're trying to make a connection where none exists because they're scandal addicts."

Matalin disputed claims that the administration had tried to hide its meetings with Enron executives, explaining, "Dick Cheney said in May on PBS that he had met with (Enron CEO) Ken Lay and had a 20-minute meeting with him."

"I remember that meeting very well," the senior White House advisor told Imus. "(Lay) got into the specifics of electricity competition and Cheney's not an expert on that and (Lay) was deferred to the staff. The subsequent meetings were not with the (Energy) Task Force or any Cabinet members - (it was) Enron staff guys with our staff guys."

One of the "so-called meetings," said Matalin, "was our head staff guy was giving a presentation to 25 companies and an Enron representative was there. Another so-called meeting was two guys came to talk to the staff about the progress of the energy report and the Enron guy never said anything.

"But in the interests of total-full disclosure on the narrow question that (ranking House Government Reform Committee Democrat Henry) Waxman (is asking) - who is, in this case, doing political bottom feeding, this is all that it's about - is, 'Did you talk about any financial stuff?' And the answer in each and every case is N-O."

Matalin said Cheney himself had only met with Mr. Lay twice. "He met with him, as he said on PBS, once on April 17 for 20 minutes. And then in June, he and I and the chief of staff, Scooter Libby.... went to an American Enterprise Institute world forum in Beaver Creek. It was one of these think tank things and there were 600 people there and Ken Lay was there.

"So we put that down as a meeting, which I think hardly qualifies," Matalin said. "I think we over-disclosed here."

The top Bush-Cheney advisor said contacts between Mr. Lay and Bush Cabinet officials Paul O'Neill and Don Evans were entirely justified.

"Enron is the world's largest energy trader," she reminded Imus. "Don't you think it would be remiss of the Treasury or the Commerce Secretary to not take a call from the president of the largest energy trading company in the world?"

On the question on whether contacts between Enron and Bush officials in the end benefited the energy giant, Matalin noted that the Bush-Cheney energy plan contained 178 recommendations to improve U.S. energy production and "not one - nada, zip, zero - was in there for Enron or Ken Lay."

[capydick]

I heard the interview and she was great!! I wish more staff of the administration spoke as clear and to the point as she did. She also challenged the "forming"conventional wisdom of the situation and put things BACK into it's truthful perspective. Way to go Mary!!!

[Freemyland]

That, combined with the quick b#$ch-slapping the administration gave to Dasshole after his tax cut speech, is encouraging.

[smith288]

I like this a lot. Very promising. They are coming out with gloves off. Something I have been waiting for.

[YaYa123]

I flipped to IMUS in time to hear this interview too, and vouch for this account of it. ANYONE hearing it would know all the insinuations about Cheney's questionable "meetings" with ENRON are intentionally false and misleading. The media is hyping the democrat spin, keeping it alive, their motives are twofold. They want to dish dirt, they want to hurt President Bush.

Note: Matalin did not resort to the "Clinton did it too" defense. She didn't have to. I think we should catalogue the many many Clinton/Gore/Ron Brown/Mack McLardy + ENRON connections, but President Bush and Vice PResident Cheney don't need to go there. We need to cram the truth down the throats of the elite media who want to pretend ENRON began and ended with the Bush family. But the Bush Administration should just continue taking their message of innocence directly to the people. The democrats, and once again, the media are going to lose this one.....BIG TIME!

[Salvation]

There's no there, there...

Gotta love this quote.

[Salvation]

On the question on whether contacts between Enron and Bush officials in the end benefited the energy giant, Matalin noted that the Bush-Cheney energy plan contained 178 recommendations to improve U.S. energy production and "not one - nada, zip, zero - was in there for Enron or Ken Lay."

Hoping this is true.

[Southack]

One humorous thing about the media hyping the Enron scandal is that Enron GOT favors such as political arm-twisting for an Indian power plant from Clinton, but were DENIED favors from the Bush administration.

Waxman has jumped into this trap headfirst, and the end result is going to be that Democrats are stared in the face with Clinton "power" plays for Enron instead of quid pro quo by the Bush team, simply because there is no "quo" there. Enron got nothing from the Bush administration, so there is no "quo".

[angkor]

Enron's Campaign Contributions, 1989-2001- Senate & House

[angry elephant]

One humorous thing about the media hyping the Enron scandal is that Enron GOT favors such as political arm-twisting for an Indian power plant from Clinton, but were DENIED favors from the Bush administration.

The Clintoons seem unusually quiet about this so far. No, "When my husband was president...," or "I told Lay when I was playing golf with him...."

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Pow to the moon, you bottom feeding rats!

[capydick]

Wasnt she great? And how encouraging to hear an intelligent rebuttal to hollow accusations. Hopefully, more of the White House staff will follow her lead. You can bet that ALL of the Sunday morning shows will be leading with this "scandal". I hope she will be on at least one of them to refute the jackals.

[Wphile]

I noticed their silence too. And Lanny Davis is out there saying, "don't go there, guys" or something to that effect. Also read that George Stephonopolus has said that there isn't anything that implicates Bush in any wrongdoing.

Bush has been out front here - calling for the investigation, calling for an investigation of 401(k) plans, raising concern for the workers, etc. The Dems may very well end of eating crow on this one as well. Man, they're so desperate, it's pathetic.

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

COMMON SENSE BTTT!!! I'll keep bumping this one occasionally,.. or at least bookmark it as fuel for future arguements.

[RobFromGa]

Maybe Mary's beloved husband, Serpent Head Carville will keep his trap shut on this one then? I doubt it very much unless he knows that Clinton will lose if a FULL investigation ensues.

Didn't a lot of high-tech companies go bankrupt in the past few years? Wasn't Clinton cozy with a bunch of them? Didnt Sen. Cantwell's company Real Networks, RNWK, lose over 90% of it's value, and cause her to require massive Clinton fundraising to pay for the $10 million of her own money she spent to run for Senate? Did any workers lose out because of the devaluation of her company? maybe caused partially by her over-extension, and subsequent under-capitalization of the company.

I don't know any details, but I do know that a lt of marginal companies go under in a recession, and others go under because they suck. If Enron managers did anything illegal, they should be held accountable for their crimes, and Bush will see that they are.

[L.N. Smithee]

"Enron is the world's largest energy trader," she reminded Imus. "Don't you think it would be remiss of the Treasury or the Commerce Secretary to not take a call from the president of the largest energy trading company in the world?"

'Bout time somebody said that.

[jwalsh07]

Enron's managers most certainly did things that were immoral and with a little luck illegal too so they can pay for their sins but anybody who puts all their acorns in one basket has a squirrel for an investment advisor.

I just hope that Bush does the right thing here and keeps all the troops open, honest and above board. What a breth of fresh air that's gonna be.

[Wyatt's Torch]

On the question on whether contacts between Enron and Bush officials in the end benefited the energy giant, Matalin noted that the Bush-Cheney energy plan contained 178 recommendations to improve U.S. energy production and "not one - nada, zip, zero - was in there for Enron or Ken Lay."

Hoping this is true.

This is a stupid statement. It is impossible to believe that the worlds largest energy trading company would not benefit from at least 1 of 178 recommendations to improve energy production. That being said, it's not a crime.

[angry elephant]

The Dems may very well end of eating crow on this one as well. Man, they're so desperate, it's pathetic.

Since the Klintoon branch of the Rat crime family has been fairly quiet, I sort of wonder whether Joie Looserman is trying to use this for his own presidential delusions. I.,e., point the finger at Bush, thus exposing Klintoon to investigation, and discrediting Hitlery. Then Loserman can claim to the Rats,"I really thought it was Bush, I didn't mean to implicate Klintoon."