The White House and Congress moved toward a court clash Friday in the Enron affair as congressional investigators filed their first-ever lawsuit for public records against the executive branch.
The US General Accounting Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, said in a statement Friday that it had filed suit in US District Court in Washington "to obtain certain records in connection with the National Energy Policy Development Group," the White House task force headed by Vice President Dick Cheney.
The move sets the stage for a historic battle between the legislative and executive branches over access to documents as lawmakers press for more information on Enron before its meltdown.
"This is the first time that GAO has filed suit against a federal official in connection with a records access issue. We take this step reluctantly," the GAO said.
"Nevertheless, given GAO's responsibility to Congress and the American people, we have no other choice. Our repeated attempts to reach a reasonable accommodation on this matter have not been successful."
The White House, which has refused to turn over documents related to Cheney's energy task force, insisting it would hamper the administration's ability to formulate policy, said it would fight in court.
"The president will fight for this right," spokesman Scott Stanzel said. "He is standing strong on principle, fighting for his right and the right of all future presidents to receive advice without it being turned into a virtual news release."
The papers being sought include documentation of meetings with officials from Enron, the energy-trading giant that collapsed amid accusations of improper reporting and accounting practices.
Cheney, himself the former head of oil giant Halliburton, said recently he would rather go to court than divulge information from private interviews held in the White House with executives of the now-disgraced energy company while he was formulating the administration's national energy plan.
Opponents of the energy plan have accused the administration of being too close to corporate special interests.
Cheney reportedly held six meetings with Enron executives, including former chairman and chief executive Kenneth Lay.
Representative Henry Waxman, who has criticized the White House over the Enron case, argued that the information should be public.
"It's remarkable and sad that the administration has forced GAO to take this unprecedented action. The American people and Congress have an obvious right to know which lobbyists and special interests tried to influence the vice president's energy policy," Waxman said in a statement.
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