White House lawyers have directed over 100 administration officials to detail any contacts they had with bankrupt energy trader Enron.
White House counsel Mr Alberto Gonzales sent questionnaires to every assistant, deputy assistant and special assistant to President Mr George W. Bush, as well as to Vice President Mr Dick Cheney's aides.
Mr Gonzales set a May 10th deadline for officials to answer the three yes-or-no questions about contacts with Enron, Mr Bush's biggest financial backer in the 2000 campaign.
According to a copy of the survey released by the White House, administration officials will be asked whether Enron came to them "for help of any kind in connection with the company's financial difficulties" between January 20th, 2001 and December 2nd, 2001.
The "Enron Survey" was sent out in response to a request by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by Senator Mr Joseph Lieberman.
But committee spokeswoman Ms Leslie Phillips called the White House survey a "stalling tactic."
"This is an attempt to avoid any meaningful oversight," Ms Phillips said. "It continues a pattern of refusing to disclose information to the American public". The panel had asked the White House to provide the information it requested by April 12th.
Sen Lieberman said the information was needed to determine what the federal government's role might have been in the events that lead to Enron's collapse. Enron filed a record bankruptcy on December 2nd amid revelations of losses from off-the-books partnerships.