Monday 30 January 2005

Breaking News!
Enron Trial May Face Delay, As White House Mulls New Court Appointments

Team Enron Being Considered For Federal Judgeships By Bush; Critics Fear Could Derail Case

Rumors flooded Houston, Texas this morning, as jury selection is beginning for the long-awaited criminal trial of former Enron Corp. executives Kenneth L. Lay and Jeffrey K. Skilling.

Together, the two former executives of the now bankrupt energy company, face over thee-dozen charges of fraud and conspiracy, including lying to investors about the state of the company's finances. Lay and Skilling, as well as other Enron executives, enriched themselves with millions-of-dollars in stock sales, leaving investors, and the company's employees with catastrophic losses.

It was leaked this morning that the White House, this weekend, sent signals and have set up a meeting with the federal prosecutors in the case, dubbed "Team Enron", to discuss possible elevation to federal judgeships.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, along with White House Chief of Staff are said, according to sources close to the case, are to fly to Houston today to talk with Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Berkowitz, director of the Justice Department's Enron Task Force, as well as Kathryn H. Ruemmler, John C. Hueston and Cliff Stricklin.

This longcomes on the heels of President Bush nominating to the federal bench last week, Jack Abramoff chief prosecutor Noel L. Hillman, also head of the Justice Department's Public Integrity Division.

Mr. Hillman has been the driving force, as well as deeply involved in the day-to-day management of the Abramoff investigation since it began almost two year ago.

Along with getting a guilty plea from Abramoff, Hillman has also indicted a fformer senior White House budget official, David H. Safavian.

With both Abramoff and Safavian cooperating with the federal prosecutors, speculation is strong that other indictments will soon follow, possibly of members of Congress and other White House and public officials, who are under suspicion and investigation for taking bribes and gifts for cooperation with lobbyists and special interests to influence official policies and legislation.

Critics charge that the Hillman appointment was designed to impede the Abramoff Investigation, and with long-documented ties between the Bush White House and Enron executives, fears are running that the White House is attempting to derails the trial.

"If they can land Team Enron, probably on a the Appellate Court level," says Daria Pannesi, editor of 'In The Loot', the newsletter for high tech dollar traders, including energy futures, "this could bring the case against Lay and Skilling to a screeching halt."

Sources close to the White House have told The Garlic that the Bush Administration has a new, "Court Scandal Damper" group, modeled after their "WHIG", or "White House Iraq Group"Medal of Freedom award."

Right-wing commentator Ann Coulter's comments, about poisoning Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has forced the White House to launch a new "Crème Brulee Surveillance Program"