Ex-Enron chief takes the blame but says he 'did nothing criminal'

HOUSTON (AP) -- Former Enron Corp. chairman Kenneth Lay took responsibility for the company's spectacular demise but put the blame of any criminal acts on underlings in a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times.
"I take full responsibility for what happened at Enron," Lay said in his first unrestricted interview since the company declared bankruptcy amid myriad accounting scandals in December 2001. "But saying that, I know in my mind that I did nothing criminal." In an article posted on the Times' Web site Saturday, Lay also said he believes his first-name relationship with President Bush will prove to be a liability as prosecutors reportedly weigh criminal charges against the former chairman.
"If anything, being friends with the Bush family, including the president, has made my situation more difficult," Lay said, "because it's probably a tougher decision not to indict me than to indict me."
Lay, a major fund-raiser in Bush's 2000 campaign, is considered in prosecutors' crosshairs because he is the last well-known Enron figure to have escaped charges so far.
Former chief executive Jeffrey Skilling is under indictment and former finance chief Andrew Fastow pleaded guilty and accepted a 10-year prison term in exchange for his cooperation.
Lay, 62, said he understands why outsiders are focused on him even though attorney Michael Ramsey said earlier this month he doesn't believe his client will be indicted.
Asked if he would consider pleading guilty to anything, he responded "absolutely not."
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