Report: Bush Was Warned of Harken Company Troubles

Sun Jul 21, 7:18 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Government records show that President Bush ( news - web sites) while in private business had confidential information in 1990 about financial problems facing a Texas oil company just months before he sold stock in the firm, The Washington Post reported on Sunday.

In recent weeks, Bush has been confronted with renewed questions from reporters about circumstances surrounding his sale of Harken Energy Corp. stock in 1990. Bush was an outside director of Harken at the time of the sale.

He has repeatedly responded that a Securities and Exchange Commission ( news - web sites) investigation of the transaction cleared him of any wrongdoing.

According to the Post report, documents released under the Freedom of Information Act show that four months before selling most of his Harken stock, Bush and other board members received information from management warning the company would "continue to be severely limited in our activities due to cash constraints."

The information was conveyed in a letter to Bush and his colleagues, which also said a failed deal involving a Harken subsidiary "left the company with little cash flow flexibility," the newspaper reported.

The documents were released on Friday by the Center for Public Integrity, which calls itself a nonpartisan organization that probes government and ethics issues.

Bush has brushed off recent suggestions that he ask the SEC to release all documents related to its 1991 investigation of the stock sale. "The key document said there is no case," Bush said.

The White House has also been fending off questions surrounding Vice President Dick Cheney ( news - web sites)'s actions while serving as chief executive of Halliburton Co., a Texas-based oil services company.

The SEC is investigating Halliburton's procedures in accounting for cost overruns. Bush has told reporters he is confident the SEC would find Cheney did nothing wrong.

Interest in the business dealings of Bush and Cheney has grown as a wave of accounting scandals has enveloped U.S. companies in recent months, contributing to a declining U.S. stock market and stoking fears Wall Street's setbacks will hobble an economy struggling to grow.

Bush, in his weekly radio address on Saturday, called on Congress to enact legislation to increase penalties for corporate fraud and to strengthen oversight of the accounting industry. Doing so, he said, would "bring a new era of integrity to American business."

-- Dan Burton (Dumbya @ disgrace. to repugs), July 21, 2002

Answers

And all this is worth exactly what? Not trying to be flip. Seriously, do you think this throughly investigated episode can become your Whitewater? That somebody beyond webboards will give a shit?

-- Carlos (riffraff@cybertime.net), July 22, 2002.

Trolltwerp is an Apostle for Trolltwerpism. He faithfully copies and pastes and rants and raves on webboards from here to Rangoon.

He is a true-believer and, like all true believers, he compulsively witnesses for his faith.

He has limited cognitive abilities but is learning some new tricks from other true-believers. From the Jehovah's Witnesses, he has recently learned of the power of direct in-your-face witnessing. Look for him in your neighborhood, going door to door distributing the Trolltwerp magazine The Crotchtower.

He is the guy in the orange peaked cap with ear-flaps.

-- (attack @ the.messenger-manque), July 22, 2002.

LOL! Just imagine that I'm a Klintoon basher like you pugs, but instead of bashing Klintoon, I'm bashing Dumbya. Maybe that will "ease your pain". ROTFL!

-- bwaaahaaaa! (get @ over. it), July 22, 2002.

Don't think so. Think rather that he's the Bill Press type. He enjoys spouting marginal stuff (like the above) assuming it will keep the marginal fold faithful then ventures into the bizarre only in dens of solidarity or stray forums like this one. Like Press he's without conviction but has found something that some pay attention to. With any luck his candorless banter will pay as well Press's does.

-- Carlos (riffraff@cybertime.net), July 22, 2002.

Thanks for the confirmation bwaaaahaaaa. Still, you should strive for the Press model. A very smart gun for hire who started with an anti theme on KFI radio in the 80's. If a democrat had been president then Bill would have been a repug. The product is the skill and not to be confused with sincerity. Look around the demo camp and you'll find a few others who are doing quite well as well. But, you need to polish your product.

-- Carlos (riffraff@cybertime.net), July 22, 2002.

The only thing you pugs know how to do is be disgustingly ignorant and intolerant of anyone with a different perspective, so my threads give you the opportunity you're always looking for. The fact that you always respond to my threads and the manner in which you do it proves this without a shadow of a doubt. You should be grateful because I'm the only thing keeping this forum from fading away into oblivion (since you pugs don't have an original brain cell in your empty heads), but you're so disgusting you can't even be thankful for that.

-- Heee haaaaw! (I rest @ my. case), July 23, 2002.

Carlos, you certainly are a man of faith.

"..throughly investigated episode.." Well, that's what they claim. My prediction is that this will be shown to be nonsense.

Will "somebody beyond webboards..give a shit"?

My prediction is that the people who are raving mad over investment losses will focus heavily on this matter.

-- Peter Errington (petere7@starpower.net), July 23, 2002.

rug a chug chug;
my stupid little pug;
sweep you under the rug;
and squish you like a bug.

-- teach you to (leave@me.alone), July 23, 2002.

Sooooo, let's drink chug-a-lug, drink chug-a-lug

-- (trollboy@nursery.skul), July 23, 2002.

Somebody skipped their medication today...

-- laughing at (you@rea.dipshit), July 23, 2002.