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CNN Live At Daybreak

Lay's Attorneys Say He Will Show Up in Washington Next Week

Aired February 06, 2002 - 06:16   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the subject on Capitol Hill this week has been Enron, the bankrupt energy company. Several Senate and House committees want Enron executives and their accountants to explain themselves.

CNN's Kate Snow lays out all the latest action.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Kenneth Lay's attorneys say he will show next week before a Senate panel Tuesday, a House committee Thursday. Members of that same house committee spent a frustrating day trying to get answers out of another executive, CEO Joseph Berardino with Enron's former accounting firm, Arthur Andersen.

REPRESENTATIVE GARY ACKERMAN (D) NEW YORK: How do you let this happen Captain? I mean your ship is going to go down and you're going to be lashed to the mast unless you start talking to us about what happened.

JOSEPH BERARDINO, CEO, ARTHUR ANDERSEN: We are still getting facts. You want me to give you conclusions without all the facts.

SNOW: Others asked if Berardino would be willing to contribute to a fund for Enron employees who lost their savings?

BERARDINO: We feel deeply for the people who have been impacted.

ACKERMAN: They express the sympathy. They'd like the cash.

SNOW: Across the capitol, one former employee told Senators she'll have a hard time paying for her daughter's wedding in September.

DEBORAH PERROTTA, FORMER ENRON EMPLOYEE: As a mother, this is always I always dreamt of doing for my daughter. Today that burden has fallen on her shoulders.

SNOW: Next up, the women in charge of retirement plans for Perrotta and everyone at Enron, Cindy Olson testified that Sherron Watkins, the woman who warned of problems at Enron last August, told Olson about her fears day before going public.

CINDY OLSON, ENRON HUMAN RESOURCES: She told me that the allegations in her memo, she didn't know if they were technically or legally correct. She was very concerned about the perception.

SNOW (on camera): But the perception senators seized on is that Olson knew Enron was going down and still did nothing to warn employees that they might want to diversify.

Kate Snow, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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