The recent collapse of the Enron energy corporation, the single largest bankruptcy in U.S. history, has provoked many questions about who knew what and when in the Bush administration as the company's chairman contacted key government officials in the weeks before Enron failed. But while the White House says no favors were given to Enron, many employees and small investors were financially wiped out, as the company's top executives -- aware of the Enron's dire situation -- avoided losses by selling their stock, worth $1.1 billion dollars.

The connection between the Bush administration and Enron are many. Kenneth Lay, Enron's chairman, was among the top political contributors to Bush's presidential campaign. Vice President Dick Cheney sought Lay's advice in secret meetings to formulate the administration's energy policy. Attorney General John Ashcroft, a recipient of Enron campaign contributions, was forced to recuse himself from a Justice Dept. investigation into Enron's collapse. And President Bush recently chose Marc Racicot, a lobbyist for Enron, to chair the Republican National Committee. While Republicans received about 73 percent of Enron's $5.8 million in political contributions since 1989, Democrats too, have benefited from the energy giant's quest to buy influence.

Among the latest revelations to surface was the admission by Enron's accounting firm, Arthur Anderson, that it destroyed thousands of documents related to the bankruptcy. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Larry Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, who examines the collapse of Enron and the investigations now underway to determine the extent to which political corruption played a role in this monumental business failure.

Contact the Center for Responsive Politics by calling (202) 857-0044 or visit their Web site at www.opensecrets.org