Lawmakers Unload Enron Donations

Jan. 18 -- No one on Capitol Hill got more money from Enron than Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison — $100,000 since 1993.

"I am giving all of the money that I had received that is Enron-related to a charitable institution, that will be solely for the benefit of Enron employees," said Huchison, who sits on the Senate Commerce Committee.

Hutchison is leading a stampede of senators, congressmen and political committees. Some lawmakers are so anxious to disassociate themselves from Enron they are getting rid of contributions of even a few hundred dollars.

"Enron is now radioactive," said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a public watch group. "And our politicians are running for their fallout shelters."

Many politicians are directing the money to funds for employees who lost jobs or retirement funds, but workers do not seem impressed.

"It seems a little hypocritical to me because they took the money in good faith," said former Enron employee Jonathan Ryan. "There was a purpose behind it, and now they are just trying to distance themselves from Enron."

No Take-backs

Not everyone is giving up Enron's money. Some lawmakers say the money has already been spent, so there's nothing to give back. Others say returning the money would wrongly imply the Enron contribution was dirty when it was accepted.

Politicians have returned contributions before — when tobacco companies and savings and loans ran into trouble. But there's never been such a dramatic exodus as this.

"This is a story about power and greed and bad things happening to good people and that story is as old as time itself," said Charles Lewis, the founder and executive director of the Center for Public Integrity in Washington. "Everyone in America gets that story, they understand that story."

Especially politicians.