Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA) formally asked Attorney General John Ashcroft Tuesday to assign a special prosecutor to investigate the scandal engulfing the bankrupt Enron Corp.

In a letter to Ashcroft, he requested that a special prosecutor explore the relationship between Enron and the stock market, and allegations that Enron manipulated stock values; the ties between the Bush administration and Enron; the company’s influence over state and federal legislation, and over the push to deregulate the energy markets; and Enron’s relationship to state and federal regulators.

“Enron was not an aberration — it is a clear example of the pervasive corruption of American politics,” he said in a prepared statement. “This is an issue of national significance and we must find out what really happened.”

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