Posted on 01/11/2002 12:06:17 PM PST by dead
Between 1992 and 1999, the Democratic Party received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Enron Corporation and its officers. Their generosity was not ignored.
To help push through energy initiatives in Africa, Clinton’s Energy Secretary (and Monica Lewinsky’s job counselor), Bill Richardson, visited Nigeria in August 1999.
“As a result of Secretary Richardson's visit to Nigeria in August, we have embarked on a bilateral cooperation program. The Department is developing an action plan with the Government of Nigeria, which will be coordinated with USAID. Cooperation could include: restructuring and privatization; rural electrification; deployment of clean energy and renewable energy technologies; promotion of energy efficiency; and development of an independent regulatory authority.”
This initiative, coordinated by Richardson, led to $882 million dollars in power contracts for Enron from the government of Nigeria:
“Enron, an oil and gas firm in Houston, has signed a power purchase agreement to supply emergency electricity to state-owned power utility Nigerian Electric Power Authority (NEPA) through 30MW power barges located on the coast of Lagos State. Enron and its Nigerian joint venture partner signed the $82 million deal with NEPA and the power ministry in the capital Abuja. Enron and the Lagos state government entered a joint venture earlier in 1999 to build an $800 million gas-powered plant with capacity for 540 Megawatt (MW) to augment supply to the city.
Unfortunately for Enron, the Nigerian Government cancelled these contracts in April 2000. As a further reward for their generosity to the Democratic Party, Clinton Administration Special Envoy Thomas Pickering hustled off to Nigeria (on the taxpayer’s dime) to plead Enron’s case.
“Picking who spoke at a news conference after his meeting with President Olusegun Obasanjo, said the American government has been following the fortunes of the two companies, ENRON and Babcolk $Wilcox both of which are operating in the energy sector, with keen interest.
Pickering stated that the American government was obviously convinced that the contracts awarded to the two companies which were later cancelled by the Federal Government were negotiated in good faith.
He said that he discussed the issue of the contract's cancellation with the President and hoped that the issues would receive fair and direct treatment from the government with a view of being reviewed.”
I guess Pickering pulled it off. The power producing barges went on line in June, 2001, providing Enron with a significant return on their investment with the DNC.
I keep getting them too. You did send them your account number, didn't you? They can't give you your money without it. :=)
Keep up the good work!
Refresh my memory. How can a corporation give a political party, or candidate, money? I thought that that was illegal. I thought that only individuals could donate to political groups -- not corporations.
AP cites many examples of Enron giving money (Two $50,000 checks to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee a week before filing for bankruptcy, for example.)
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