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WHITE HOUSE SUBPOENAS
ISSUED FOR ENRON INFORMATION COMMITTEE ALSO REPORTS OUT HOMELAND
SECURITY BILL
May 22, 2002
WASHINGTON -
The Governmental Affairs Committee Wednesday agreed to issue
subpoenas to the White House, after eight weeks of
unsuccessfully seeking assurances that the White House would
search for and turn over information requested as part of the
Committee’s Enron investigation.
The vote was
9-8, along party lines, in favor of the subpoenas.
“This
Committee has not singled out the White House,” Chairman Joe
Lieberman, D-Conn., said. “The White House has singled itself
out by making clear to us its refusal to comply with an
investigation about a scandalous collapse of a company that hurt
thousands of innocent people.”
The
Committee also sent to the floor legislation authored by
Lieberman and Senator Specter, R-Pa., and Graham, D-Fla., to
reorganize the government’s homeland defense operations. The
National Homeland Security and Combating Terrorism Act of 2002
was approved by a 9-7 vote. The bill would establish a
Department of Homeland Security, composed of the Customs
Service, the Border Patrol, the Coast Guard, and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency. The Secretary would be a cabinet
member, confirmed by the Senate, and possessed of full budget
authority. The legislation also would establish a White House
office of Combating Terrorism to coordinate a national
anti-terrorism strategy government-wide.
Companion
legislation has been introduced in the House by Reps. Mac
Thornberrry, R-Texas., Jane Harman, D-Calif., and others.
The
Committee also approved a measure to give Inspectors General law
enforcement powers, several nominations, and several post-office
naming bills.
The
subpoenas came after eight weeks of discussions with the White
House that included meetings and exchanges of correspondence,
dating back to March 27. The White House waited until April 29
- over a month after the Committee made its request - to take
any concrete steps to find responsive information.
In a letter
as late as May 21, the White House declined to commit either to
search for, or to turn over information critical to the
Committee’s investigation, for example, communications between
the President and Vice President and Enron officials;
communications between former White House employees and Enron
officials. The White House also declined to abandon its
objections to providing the Committee with information
pertaining to Presidential appointments and the National Energy
Policy.
“I did not
plan this day,” Lieberman said. “We’re simply asking for
conversations the President and Vice President and others inside
the White House had with Enron officials and their
representatives, or conversations they had with other federal
agencies about Enron. There is nothing particularly intrusive
here. It is not difficult stuff. We’ve told them over and over
that they have the right to assert claims of executive
privilege. I just think they don’t want to cooperate. This
White House doesn’t like to share information. It is trying to
set a precedent of broad secrecy with information the public has
a right to know.”
Attached is a
time line of the Committee’s Enron investigation
Statement of Senator Joe Lieberman |