Democrats.com Launches Enrongate Web Site and Internet Advertising Campaign for Special Prosecutor

For Immediate Release: January 14, 2001
Enrongate Web site: http://democrats.com/enron

Democrats.com Launches Enrongate Web Site and Internet Advertising Campaign for Special Prosecutor

Democrats.com, which was the first group to call for a Special Prosecutor for the Enron investigation last Friday, today announced the launch of a special Enrongate Web site and an Internet advertising campaign to build public support for a Special Prosecutor.

"After the White House denied any involvement in the massive Enron bankruptcy, Americans learned this weekend that Enron's top executives did, in fact, discuss its financial crisis with top officials of the Bush administration, including the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Commerce," said Democrats.com co-founder Bob Fertik.

"In the past few days, Americans have also learned that serious crimes may have been committed by Enron executives and their auditors, including preparing fraudulent financial statements and destroying important financial records that were under subpoena," said co-founder David Lytel.

"President Bush has tried to create the impression that he had few contacts with Enron's chairman, Ken Lay. Indeed, President Bush misrepresented his own relationship with Mr. Lay last week, claiming that they only became friends after his 1994 election as Governor of Texas, and that Mr. Lay did not support him in that race. Both of these claims are contradicted by all available evidence, including public records and statements by Mr. Lay. Mr. Bush's deliberately misleading statements call into doubt the credibility of all of his statements about Enron, including his categorical denial of any involvement in Enron's business since becoming President," said Fertik.

"President Bush and Ken Lay are old political allies, dating back as far as 1978, when Mr. Lay contributed to Mr. Bush's first Congressional campaign. President Bush and Mr. Lay have had a business relationship dating back as far as 1988, when Mr. Bush called Argentina's Minister Of Public Works to lobby for Enron's oil pipeline bid," said Fertik

"During the course of his political career, Mr. Bush has received more money from Mr. Lay and Enron - $574,550 - than from any other political supporter. And in return for that support, Mr. Bush has used his political influence for Mr. Lay's benefit on numerous occasions. These include calling former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge in 1997, urging the Texas Congressional delegation to support overseas risk insurance in 1997, deregulating Texas' energy markets in 1999, and refusing to impose wholesale price caps during California's electricity crisis in 2001. Mr. Bush's efforts to reward Mr. Lay continue to this very day, with his diligent efforts for repeal of the corporate Alternative Minimum Tax, which would deposit $250 million directly into Enron's coffers," said Fertik.

In light of these new revelations, Democrats.com has stepped up its efforts for the appointment of a Special Prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration's involvement in Enron's collapse. These efforts include:

- posting an Internet petition for a Special Prosecutor, which has garnered over 2,700 signatures in three days.

- creating an in-depth Enrongate Web site at http://democrats.com/enron

- launching an Internet advertising campaign to drive traffic to the Enrongate web site. The animated banner ad uses tongue-in-cheek humor to highlight Mr. Bush's relationship to Ken Lay.

"Enron gave $574,550 to George W. Bush
Bush says, 'I did not have business relations with that man, Kenneth Lay!'
Sound familiar? America needs a Special Prosecutor!"

The ad will be viewed by 1 million Internet users on 7,000 web sites in the coming days. Democrats.com has also appealed to its supporters to donate additional funds to reach millions of additional Internet users.

Democrats.com has also increased its media outreach efforts. On Friday, Bob Fertik appeared on the BBC's premier news show, Newsnight.

"The Enrongate scandal is just beginning. Before it is over, top officials in the Bush administration - including President Bush and Vice President Cheney - will have to answer serious questions about their involvement with Enron's business. It will be impossible for President Bush's political appointees in the Justice Department to conduct a thorough and objective investigation of these questions. Once again, we call upon Mr. Bush to do the inevitable and appoint a Special Prosecutor for Enrongate," concluded Lytel.

###

Suddenly, literally overnight, the 'Enron affair' has transmogrified from 'White House scandal' to Democrat pickle -- major-league pickle, actually. The breakneck turn of the tables, politically, has been nothing short of stunning -- even by Washington standards.
The Democrats, who only days ago could barely contain their glee -- champing at the bit to tar and feather Bush with the ghastly Enron debacle -- are abruptly succumbing to a surprising case of cold feet. The haters are discovering, much to their chagrin, that the Enron affair -- should they pursue it -- could boomerang right back on them, and in more ways than they might imagine -- or want to bargain for.
A Sunday Washington Post piece, "Enron Also Courted Democrats", by senior writer Dan Morgan, told the story. The cryptic message between-the-lines: Dems, be careful what you wish for....
Washington's flagship liberal newspaper was worried, alright -- and for good reason.
From company documents and former employees, the tapestry of influence-peddling and money-for-favors the Post had unearthed, ironically enough, could prove hugely embarrassing to Democrats, including the party's most prominent members.
Indeed, in the last campaign cycle alone, Enron Corp. poured more than a half of million greenbacks into Democrat coffers -- $532,000 to be exact. That's a scant less than the figure the company reportedly gave Republicans: $623,000. One out of 2 members of the House and nearly 3 out of 4 members of the Senate have, at one time or another, received campaign contributions from Enron.
Clearly, this undercuts the basic tenet of the Democrats' "case", namely that Enron and Republicans are merely two heads of the same evil monster. By lavishing both parties with company largess, Enron was wisely hedging its bets. Politically, the bipartisan nature of its "beneficence" means Democrats have no moral leg to stand on: If accepting a donation from Enron 'taints' the recipient somehow, then Senator Joseph Lieberman, who has pocketed Enron* gratuity himself, should immediately recuse his position as chair of one of several committees probing the affair.
It does not suffice when Sen. Lieberman asserts, as he did last Sunday on CBS' Face the Nation, that since the donation in question dates several years back, he sees no conflict-of-interests. Not only is this self-serving excuse wholly inconsistent, it is morally bankrupt.
Sen. Lieberman should not exempt himself from the very standards he sets for others, for what is good for the Goose is good for the Gander. By refusing to recuse himself, he undercuts his already frail credibility -- and that of the committee he chairs. By practicing such double standards, Democrats expose themselves for the partisan hypocrites they are. Their primary intention, obviously enough, isn't to probe Enron, per se, as much as to score cheap political points and, ultimately, bring down the President.
Yet, for reasons aforementioned, they will fulfill neither intent. If anything, their rabid campaign of smear and innuendo contains the seeds of a mighty public backlash.
Thus, neither side on Capitol Hill stands to gain politically from the Enron debacle.
Complicating things further for Democrats, it's been widely reported that former Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin last November lobbied a senior ranking Treasury official on behalf of Citigroup, whose executive committee he chairs. Enron's debt ratings were about to be slashed, and Mr. Rubin improperly urged Undersecretary Peter Fisher to intercede with credit agencies on Enron's behalf. Citigroup holds approximately $3 billion of Enron's debt.
But beyond opening Democrats up to charges of rancid hypocrisy, some of the shenanigans reported by the Post appear to cross the rubicon of criminality.
The Clinton administration had provided Enron with massive public funding for many of its overseas projects, but one in particular stands out as a clear case of 'quid-pro-quo'. In June of '96, Clinton golfing buddy and Enron chief Kenneth Lay cut a check totaling $100,000 to the DNC just four days prior to winning final approval from India of a major Enron development there -- one which Clinton had moved heaven and earth to secure. In fact, as the Post points out, Clinton took such a keen interest in this one undertaking, he "deputized" as project overseer his own chief-of-staff, Thomas 'Mack' McLarty III. But the sleaziness didn't end there: Enron later hired McLarty as a full time advisor.
Oh, and did I mention what Jack Quinn, Elizabeth Moler and Linda Robertson all share in common? This: All three were Clinton administration big-wigs, and all three went to work for Enron.
Interesting, eh?
Bottom line: Mr. Lay's ties with the Clinton administration, and with Clinton personally, were exceedingly close, and mutally profitable.
Yet, despite generous campaign contributions, Mr Lay has receieved zip-zero-nada from the Bush administration. In fact, Bush officials wisely rebuffed pressure from Enron -- and Enron's main creditor -- to intercede on the troubled company's behalf.
Ironically enough, it is the nexus between the Clinton administration, Enron and campaign contributions which cries out for a thorough investigation. Accordingly, watch the media frenzy over this 'story' disappear after some initial fireworks from Capitol Hill later this month as hearings gear up. The 'hearings' will go no where, it's easy to predict.
The underlying moral of this story is especially interesting, one which, unsurprisingly, totally escapes the attention of a cynical press. From it we learn how, even in politics, good character will trump money -- every time. Ken Lay was able to buy off the Clinton administration lock, stock and barrel (garnering endless favors-for-cash, at taxpayers' expense)-- but Mr. Lay got nothing -- absolutely nothing -- from President George W. Bush, notwithstanding his lavish campaign donations. The reason? It's as simple and clear as it gets: This President is not for sale. Not now, not ever -- not at any price. His administration is a textbook example of good government. All the campaign finance laws in the world will never substitute for exemplary character and moral integrity -- the qualities this President exudes.
Honor, probity, personal rectitude -- these are Bush's defining traits, and give this President his special appeal.
President George W. Bush is living testimony to why we don't need McCain-Feingold to have honest government -- the kind of government Americans can trust.
And that, my friends, is the real moral of the story.
*Raising more thorny 'conflict-of-interests' questions, Sen. Lieberman reportedly accepted lavish campaign contributions from Citigroup, to the tune of $112,546. According to Enron court filings, Citigroup happens to be the company's largest creditor, with outstanding loans totaling $3 billion. In other words, insofar as appearances go, Mr. Rubin may as well chair Lieberman's committee. The notion that Lieberman can lead an "impartial" investigation of a company which burned his top campaign contributor is laughable on its face. I rest my case.
My two cents...
"JohnHuang2"

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.