Three top advisers to Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman met with Enron officials last summer at the request of a former Lieberman chief of staff - but the Connecticut senator insisted Wednesday that he had no knowledge the meetings took place.
So, given the current standards set forth by the democRATs, by LIEberman refusing to meet with Enron execs., he is essentially responsible for his collapse as he did nothing to help bail them out.
Show us the integrity that the democRATs and presstitutes claim you possess. Recuse yourself from this investigation as Attorney General Ashcroft has. But, I suspect you will not.
Folks this Enron story dies quietly ..........soon
That sounds mildly familiar.
On Sunday I gave this story two weeks to disappear. This is one more nail in the coffin. Nine days and counting.
Of course, Rush will report it - thank God for RUSH!
And one would hope FOX will report it! They had better!
But what about ABCNBCCBSCNN??????
I don't watch those news programs so please report here anybody who sees this reported on those nightly "news" programs.
Better yet - who can be sure this information GETS TO those news desks so they can have no excuse to "forget" to report it!
By LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Joseph Lieberman's former top aide, working as an Enron lobbyist, met three times with the senator's staff and tried unsuccessfully to arrange a meeting between Enron's chairman and Lieberman - now leading an investigation of the oil giant.
Lobbyist Michael Lewan served three years as Lieberman's chief of staff and remains a political adviser, but the relationship won't affect the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee inquiry, Lieberman spokesman Dan Gerstein said Wednesday.
The lobbyist and Lieberman talked from time to time ``but not about Enron,'' Gerstein said. ``The senator was aware that Enron added him (Lewan) as a client.''
The revelation adds to a growing list of Washington politicians whose ties to Enron have come under scrutiny in the aftermath of the jolting financial collapse of one of America's largest companies.
Lieberman, the unsuccessful vice presidential candidate in 2000, was one of the first lawmakers to announce an investigation of Enron after its December bankruptcy.
Earlier, the senator had asked for a review of contacts between a federal official and Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay.
The Connecticut Democrat also has cautioned colleagues not to jump to conclusions about Enron's political connections with the Bush administration or Congress before having all the facts.
Enron executives were among the largest source of donations to President Bush's campaign, and just a week before filing for bankruptcy protection the company donated $100,000 to the Senate Democrats' fund-raising committee.
``We don`t know enough to know whether any of that influence in any way stopped the administration or agencies of our federal government from protecting average shareholders who lost their life savings when Enron collapsed,'' Lieberman said this week.
In addition to its political donations, Enron and its affiliates reported spending about $1 million in the first half of 2001 on a star-studded lobbying team in Washington.
That team included former Clinton White House counsel Jack Quinn, ex-Democratic Louisiana Sen. J. Bennett Johnston, former Al Gore adviser Greg Simon and Republican strategist Ed Gillespie.
Lewan said he worked as an Enron lobbyist from June through November, earning some $40,000.
Lewan, who worked as Lieberman's chief of staff from 1989 to 1992, said he tried to build relationships for the company with Democratic members of Congress who focused on energy issues, but not his former boss.
``I wasn't hired to lobby Joe Lieberman,'' Lewan said. ``We're still personal friends. The last thing I want to be is a political burden to him.''
But Gerstein acknowledged Lewan tried to arrange a meeting this summer between Lay and Lieberman.
Gerstein said he didn't know what Lay wanted. The meeting never took place because Lieberman had initiated a General Accounting Office investigation of Lay's contact with a federal energy official that was still ongoing at the time.
``We thought it was inappropriate to meet with Ken Lay while that investigation was going on,'' Gerstein said. The GAO is Congress' investigative agency.
Gerstein said Lewan did meet with Lieberman staff members three times in June and July.
Lewan met with the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee's energy expert, David Berick, on price gouging in California. He discussed the company's broadband business with Chuck Ludlam of Lieberman's personal staff. And he had an introductory, courtesy meeting with the committee staff director, Joyce Rechtschaffen.
Translation: I don't think you have any proof that I knew anything, so I lie.
And another question, about the $2,000. Did he turn it into $200,000 in the gas futures market after getting futures investment tips from the junior senator from NY???? ;^)
Sound familiar???? It worked for Hitlery.
The revelation is a painful distraction
As if his work was more important than the presidency? Get a grip here!
Thus far, Lieberman has been all over the media expressing outrage and promising a full, fair investigation. Wednesday, he suddenly had to defend himself before an aggressive press corps in Enron's home state.
So Joe, how does it feel getting caught in the cookie jar yourself? Hypocrit.
Michael Lewan, his chief of staff from 1989 to 1992, lobbied for Enron last year and has remained close to the senator.
But....uh....he doesn't recall? Helloooo?
Lieberman was aware of Lewan's interest in Enron. Lewan, who, according to records, was paid $40,000 to lobby for the firm last year, tried to arrange a meeting between Lieberman and Lay last year.
Gee. Why, that's more than Ashcroft got. Go figure!
In San Antonio, Lieberman suggested that his political enemies were trying to embarrass him with the revelations.
But what if they're true? Does that count? "I did not have sex...."
In fact, Republicans have been trying hard to discredit Democrats, pointing out how Enron contributed millions to Democratic candidates,
Well, isn't that exactly what the Dumocraps did to Republicans in the first place? That's what started all this, idiot!
"Oh God, no,"
God? Huh? He was excamunicated by his church for running with Gores agenda. He lied for Clinton. What God is he talking about?
. "I got one contribution from Enron,"
"And a LOT more for all my other political commitees. They made my political legacy! "
"that's what lobbyists do. No one did anything wrong."
Sure. Now, about that Bush investigation, Mr. Leiberman....
It looks like the investigation is proving the dumocraps are more quilty of shady deals than the Republicans. Well,well,well, who'd a thunk? HA!
LOL!!! And this democrat liar wants us to think that President George W. Bush should have know about the collapse of Enron and convene a press conference to advise the Enron shareholders to sell. What an immense jerk.
Moreover, Peter Flaherty, President of National Legal and Policy Center wrote to Senator Lieberman on January 15, 2002 the following:
"...Enron contributed a total of $25,000 in 2000 to the group you founded, the New Democrat Network, according to IRS records. Also, Enron's biggest creditor, Citigroup, Inc. is listed as your largest single contributor ($112,546) for the period 1997-2002 by the web site Opensecrets.org, relying on Federal Election Commission records. Citigroup, Inc. also made $100,000 in contributions to the New Democrat Network in 2001. Arthur Anderson, Enron's auditing firm, contributed $20,000 to the New Democrat Network in 2001..."
Last night I cruised over to the Opensecrets.org web site and found the following data concerning Arthur Anderson contributions 2001-2002 and found that the firm donated approximately $39.1 Million to 10 Democrat Senators and $8.5 Million to 4 Republicans.
Senator Lieberman cannot be trusted to run a fair investigation, like his pal, Senator McCain is so fond of saying about himself and campaign contributions, "he's been corrupted".