In the House, the Energy and Commerce Committee, led by Republican Billy Tauzin, held hearings on the collapse of Enron and the ImClone scandal; Tauzin is now threatening to compel public testimony from ImClone ex-shareholder Martha Stewart. But Tauzin’s committee has also requested and received stacks of records from a dozen other troubled corporations ranging from Adelphia Communications to Xerox. Sources say these contain information that could create awkward pre-election headlines for two Democratic senators and a top party official. But the committee has no current plan to release the documents before November. Meanwhile, investigators working for Senate Governmental Affairs Committee chair Joseph Lieberman, a possible 2004 Democratic presidential contender, acknowledge they have taken delivery of Enron files relating to the failed energy giant’s dealings with government agencies. A spokeswoman for Lieberman says the senator may well hold hearings or issue reports related to Enron before November. The spokeswoman said these proceedings could examine Enron’s dealings with federal regulators, though she said she had no idea of any possible political consequences. A spokesman for Tauzin said his committee’s GOP majority has “resisted attempts to politicize our investigations, but, if necessary, we know how to play the game, too.”
