(13 Jan 2002)
APTN
Houston, Texas - File (29 November, 2001)
1. Exterior views of Enron head office
2. Pull back view of Enron, Texas and US flags flying outside building
POOL
Washington, DC - 10 January, 2002
3. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer walking into room
4. Cutaway reporters
5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ari Fleischer, White House spokesman:
"This morning Secretary O'Neill and Secretary Evans made the information known and we immediately shared it and provided it to you. What is important here in the President's opinion is that this needs to be investigated from a criminal point of view to determine what went wrong with Enron as well as from the Department of Labour to protect the pensioners who worked for Enron, the employees of Enron. But in addition it is very important to look at policies to make certain that this doesn't happen to anybody else."
6. Wide view of US President George W. Bush speaking
7. SOUNDBITE: (English) George Bush, US President:
"I do know that Mr Lay (Kenneth L. Lay, Enron chief executive officer) came to the White House early in my administration, along with I think 20 other business leaders, to discuss the state of the economy. It was just kind of a general discussion. I have not met with him personally."
8. Pan of Oval Office meeting
9. SOUNDBITE: (English) George Bush, US President:
"They will look at fully investigate what went on. I am, my concern of course, is for the shareholders of Enron, but my ... I have grave concern for the stories, for those I read about in the stories who put their life savings aside and for whatever reason, based upon some rule or regulation, got trapped in this awful bankruptcy and lost their life savings. And one of the things this group is going to do is take a good hard look at it."
APTN
Washington, DC - 10 January, 2002
10. Exterior views of Justice Department
11. Close-up George Washington University law professor and author Lawrence Mitchell working at desk
12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Professor Lawrence Mitchell, George Washington University:
"Its highly unusual, I certainly can't think of any other time that its been done."
13. Wide view Mitchell working at desk
14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Professor Lawrence Mitchell, George Washington University:
"Enron was extraordinarily irresponsible. What happened with Enron, as I understand it, forgetting the details is all of this was done to keep the stock price high, as high as it could be in a short-term sort of way. Now they went to extremes and they probably violated some laws in the process of doing that but it is not uncommon for American corporations to do what they can to maximize short-term stock prices. That's what Enron did and when that happens and it falls apart as it did spectacularly here the people who get hurt tend to be like the 401K employees of Enron ... the ordinary people. The executives never seen to get hurt."
APTN
Houston, Texas - File (29 November, 2001)
15. Close-up employees loading boxes into car
16. Pan up from employees to Enron building
STORYLINE:
The chairman of collapsed energy firm Enron contacted two US cabinet members as the company headed for bankruptcy, the White House disclosed on Thursday.
The announcement came as the US Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into Enron's bankruptcy.
President Bush, who received significant campaign contributions from Kenneth Lay and other Enron executives, said he himself has never discussed Enron's financial problems with its embattled chairman.
Fleischer said Lay also told O'Neill that Enron was heading to bankruptcy.
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