Excerpt:
Washington, DC, Friday, December 7, 2001 - Records show Enron paid large sums to enlist the lobbying aid of former Tennessee Valley Authority Director Johnny Hayes and another Tennessee friend of former Vice President Al Gore.
Enron paid $200,000 to Sideview Partners Inc., a company headed by Mr. Hayes, for lobby work involving TVA earlier this year, according to Mr. Hayes' midyear 2001 lobby activities report.
The Texas company, known for its close political ties to Republicans, also paid $500,000 to the Nashville law firm of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, where another longtime Gore friend and fund-raiser, Charles Bone, works, according to Mr. Bone's midyear disclosure. Mr. Bone reported he lobbied both TVA and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Enron's behalf.
The $500,000 paid to Mr. Bone's law firm appeared to be the highest among all the lobby contracts Enron reported for the first half of 2001. Last year, Enron spent about $2.1 million on lobbying, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog group.