ENRON - Lay cancels meeting with Jesse

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Thursday January 24, 11:33 pm Eastern Time

Enron's Lay cancels meeting with Jesse Jackson

(UPDATE: Updates with Jackson press conference)

By Jeff Franks

HOUSTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Former Enron Corp. chief executive Ken Lay on Thursday canceled a meeting with civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, who went to the company's headquarters anyway and called for laid off Enron workers to be reimbursed from money pocketed by company executives.

The two men were supposed to meet in a session that was expected to include prayer, but Lay begged off, citing a family emergency, Jackson told reporters.

``It's not personal. To be sure, right now he's in great pain, great agony,'' he said of Lay, who a day earlier resigned in disgrace from the company he built, then led into bankruptcy. He remains on the board of directors.

Jackson was asked if he had come to minister to Lay, the son of a Baptist preacher.

``The last time we met we did have prayer together. There is this case of Job in the Bible. He had a great fall,'' Jackson replied. It was possible they would meet on Friday, he added.

A Jackson spokesman said Jackson had wanted to assure Lay that he came to Houston not to attack him, but to drum up support for thousands of Enron workers who lost their savings in Enron's financial collapse.

Enron was the nation's top energy trading company until Dec. 2 when a ruinous financial scandal forced it into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Many Enron employees had their money invested in Enron stock, which is now almost worthless.

``They trusted a corporation and they were betrayed,'' Jackson said. ``They were not protected by their government because of the unholy alliance between the government and the corporation.''

``We know who got the money. (Helping the workers) means freezing assets, it means government subsidy,'' he said. ``We should get the money from where the money went.''

Enron executives, including Lay, collected hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses, buy-outs and stock options even as questionable financial dealings were pushing the company toward disaster, according to public documents and lawsuits.

Before Enron's troubles, Lay was considered one of the nation's most powerful businessmen because he was a big political donor with close ties to President George W. Bush.

He is scheduled to testify before Congress next month and faces numerous civil lawsuits and a criminal investigation by the U.S. Justice Department. In his resignation on Wednesday, Lay said he could not reorganize the bankrupt company and fight its mounting legal battles at the same time.

Jackson's visit comes a day after fellow activist Al Sharpton appeared on the steps of Enron headquarters to urge federal help for Enron employees and investors.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002

Answers

Jackson go home! Which home? I don't care. Just go.

Keep your nose out of it.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002


Jesse Jackass is such a slut... he doesn't care about the Enron employees, only about a chance to get in front of a TV camera again so he can rebuild his extortion racket...

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002

And we've got Sharpton trolling the area. This does not bode well for November.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002

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