Patrick Leahy: “I also compliment him for his leadership on corporate accountability. Sometime ago, he asked the Chairs of the various…”

“I also compliment him for his leadership on corporate accountability. Sometime ago, he asked the Chairs of the various committees with possible jurisdiction in this area to get together and craft comprehensive legislation. I recall that meeting very well. I recall the majority leader--back at the time of Enron, before WorldCom and these other business scandals came forward--expressing his concern that not only is this a blight on the business community, it is a blight on our system of doing things. He also spoke about how terrible it was for those people, not only workers who had their pensions tied up in the fortunes of the companies they are working with and are relying on for truthfulness--what they assumed is the truthfulness--of the accounting statements of those companies, but also many other people who invest, whether it is a farmer in South Dakota or a merchant in a small town in Vermont who is putting savings in and hoping this will be part of his retirement. The majority leader made it very clear to all of us that we were to set politics aside, we were to set any kind of special interests aside, and we were to bring up the best legislation possible for the people of America.”