Bush 'gave top jobs to Enron people'

The former Enron chairman gave the White House recommendations for appointments to a federal energy commission last spring.

George W Bush eventually appointed two of the people on Kenneth Lay's list.

Among the names were Pat Wood, now chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Nora Brownell, a member of the commission.

White House spokeswoman Anne Womack said "many, many recommendations" were received from industry executives, members of Congress and state officials.

Disclosure of Mr Lay's recommendations to the White House come as congressional panels investigate the relationship between Enron and the Bush administration.

The Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating the company's complex accounting and the role played by its auditor, Arthur Andersen, which has acknowledged destroying Enron-related documents.