The White House has turned over some material relating to Enron showing numerous contacts with former Enron chairman Mr Kenneth Lay.
The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee approved the first congressional subpoenas of the Bush administration. They were requested by committee chairman Senator Joseph Lieberman, a potential 2004 election challenger to Republican President George W. Bush.
The move escalated Congress' battle with the administration over the reach of their respective powers. Mr Lieberman said he was forced to act after the White House stalled on his two-month-old request for information about its ties with now-bankrupt Enron.
Last night, White House counsel Mr Alberto Gonzales sent Mr Lieberman seven pages of material detailing some White House interactions with Enron, and said he expected to make more information available "as further work is completed".
The material revealed many links with former Enron chief Mr Lay, who was a major Bush campaign contributor and served on a transition committee that searched for people to fill energy-related positions in the administration.
"Mr Lay recommended a total of 21 individuals for appointment in the administration, of whom only three ultimately received appointments," said the White House document, a summary of Enron contacts submitted by Gonzales.