From Holden:
Q When was the last time you talked to either Mr. Lay or any other Enron official, about the — about anything? And did discussions involve the financial problems of the company?
THE PRESIDENT: I have never discussed, with Mr. Lay, the financial problems of the company. The last time that I saw Mr. Lay was at my mother’s fundraising event to — for literacy, in Houston. That would have been last spring. I do know that Mr. Lay came to the White House in — 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.
Q — to inoculate and your administration politically from the fallout?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, Ken Lay is a supporter. And I got to know Ken Lay when he was the head of the — what they call the Governor’s Business Council in Texas. He was a supporter of Ann Richards in my run in 1994. And she had named him the head of the Governor’s Business Council. And I decided to leave him in place, just for the sake of continuity. And that’s when I first got to know Ken, and worked with Ken, and he supported my candidacy.
This is — what anybody’s going to find, if — is that this administration will fully investigate issues such as the Enron bankruptcy, to make sure we can learn from the past, and make sure that workers are protected.