Washington — The head of a congressional inquiry into the Bush administration's energy proposals said Friday he would sue the White House next week if the administration does not comply with his demands, in what would be the first legal action of its kind between the legislative and executive branches of government.
U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker, head of the General Accounting Office, Congress's investigative arm, said the White House "may be reconsidering" its nine-month opposition to releasing records of the task force headed by Vice President Dick Cheney that drafted the administration's energy policy. Lawmakers are seeking to learn what influence companies such as Enron Corp., which had six meetings with the task force, had on the proposals.
If the White House does not reverse course next week, "it looks as if we'll be heading to court," Walker said. "Unless we get the information or we're in the middle of intense negotiations, I'm not going to sit on this much longer."
The ultimatum from the GAO escalated a battle with the White House at a time when the administration faces questions from various directions about its ties to Enron, the now- disgraced energy concern led by executives close to President Bush. Democratic lawmakers have asked whether Enron had disproportionate influence in the administration because of campaign donations, a suggestion the White House adamantly rejects.
Former Enron executives disclosed Friday that a top Bush campaign adviser, Edward Gillespie, served as the company's key conduit to the White House and House leaders. Gillespie's firm received $525,000 during nine months last year from Enron for lobbying that included the energy task force and economic stimulus legislation with tax provisions that would have helped Enron.
Also Friday, Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, said it would file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission to determine whether Karl Rove, Bush's top campaign adviser, arranged for an Enron consulting contract for strategist Ralph Reed instead of paying him from campaign funds. The White House and Reed denied a charge, made by an anonymous source in a New York Times article, that Reed's contract was arranged to keep his allegiance to Bush during the early days of the Texas governor's presidential bid.
New information was released Friday showing that the White House amended a draft energy proposal by the State Department to include a provision favorable to Enron. Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., the White House's main antagonist over the energy task force records, released papers indicating the White House added to the final report a call to boost energy production in India. In between the draft and the final report, Enron officials had met with the task force, Waxman's staff said.
The development could be significant because the change was made about the same time the White House was expanding an effort to aid Enron in India.
No comments
Commenting is turned off for this story.