Enron Judge Conflict of Interest
Enron Judge Conflict of Interest
Here’s a forward (thanks, Chip!) that says that the judge in the Enron proceedings has a serious conflict of interest that has perhaps influenced her decision to hold off on freezing the money Enron executives skimmed before the megacorp flopped. I don’t know anything about the apparent author, Brenda Pitts Bennett, but she cites her sources.
From: Brenda Pitts Bennett
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2002 3:14 PM
Subject: Enron Judge’s MAJOR Conflicts of Interest1) Judge Lee Rosenthal (again, the judge hearing the case filed against Enron by angry shareholders and employees) says she has the right to freeze the funds of Enron executives, to keep them from hiding their ill-gotten gains, but needs further evidence first.
2) Judge Lee Rosenthal has herself held Enron stock until as late as the year 2000. Clearly, her ruling will impact her own financial future if she has to freeze her own funds!
3) Judge Lee Rosenthal was appointed to the bench by GWBush!! AND
4) Judge Lee Rosenthal, until her appointment to the bench by GWBush, practiced in a law firm, Baker & Botts. The “Baker” in Baker & Botts is none other than James Baker! That’s right, the same James Baker whose financial records may be frozen, the same James Baker who may receive a subpoena for records on Friday from Congress for his role in Enron. The same James Baker who was on the Enron payroll and who used his political clout for Enron’s benefit.The same James Baker who was hired by Enron at the end of Bush Sr.’s administration. The same James Baker that masterminded GWBush’s post-election vote-count operations in Florida. The same James Baker whose wife, Susan, has been on the board of bush-supporter James Dobson’s Focus on the Family.
Now, doesn’t it appear that Judge Lee Rosenthal has just a few catastrophic conflicts of interest going on here? Not only is her own financial future dependent on one of the important rulings facing her court (whether to freeze the funds of Enron stockholders who sold large blocks during the time period that Enron was fraudulently inflating its worth), but her rulings will have a major impact on the powerful man (GWBush) who appointed her to the bench AND the powerful man (James Baker) who was a partner in the law firm where she practiced law before she was appointed to the bench.
Is this how the Enron court cases are going to go? Are the financially ruined Enron employees and stockholders going to be further assaulted again by Bush/Enron-toadying judges?
Judge: Enron Funds Could Be Frozen
Federal Judges’ Financial Revelations
Judge Rosenthal appointed by GW Bush
Brenda Pitts Bennett
Texas
[email protected]
www.geocities.com/copbrutality
I don’t find point #2 very convincing: Rosenthal wasn’t an Enron executive so it’s not clear to me that she would have to freeze her own assets. But the rest of the picture is certainly disturbing. [Note: The first link Bennett cites was dead so I substituted a working link to the same AP story.]
Categories: Uncategorized dw
