On February 22, 2002 (January 11, 2002 in the lunar calendar), the U.S. Congress and the White House went to court. On February 22, 2002, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) formally filed a lawsuit in the Washington District Court, pointing the finger at Vice President Cheney, asking the judge to make a ruling and order the White House government to provide the GAO with information on the government's energy policy formulation process last year. This case is the first time that the General Accounting Office has sued the White House in its 80-year history. It is the most serious court confrontation between the U.S. Congress and the White House since the Watergate Incident. David Walker, Director of the General Accounting Office, said,"We had no choice but to take this step.""In order to be accountable to Congress and the American people, the General Accounting Office has no choice." This case is now submitted to the court, hoping that the court can make a quick decision. Cheney is the only defendant proposed by the General Accounting Office, accusing him of misconduct during the formulation of energy policy last year, as vice president and chairman of the National Energy Policy Group. To summarize it in Walker's words, he wanted the energy team headed by Cheney to tell "who they met, when and where they talked about what they talked about." In the face of the general accounting office's crusade, the White House remained tough as always. White House spokeswoman Anna Warmank said the case involved the White House's "vital constitutional rights" and that since the General Accounting Office threatened to sue the court a few weeks ago,"we are ready to defend our principles." On the surface, this case appears to be a "difficult situation" between the General Accounting Office and Vice President Cheney. In fact, the opposition Democratic Party used the stir caused by the Enron bankruptcy case to launch an attack on the Republican Party led by President Bush. In May 2001, the new energy policy launched by the Bush administration clearly took care of the interests of corporate giants, which has long aroused dissatisfaction among Democrats. Two Democratic House members took the lead in requesting the General Accounting Office to intervene in the investigation in April 2001, and four other Democrat-led committees subsequently made the same request. As a non-partisan body under Congress, the General Accounting Office had to take action at the request of members. In early December 2001, Enron Corporation, one of the top ten companies in the United States, filed for bankruptcy protection. Due to the frequent exposure of various "shady transactions", it caused a strong "Enron shock" in American politics. Enron's political donations and close relationship with the Bush administration once became hot topics in the US news. At the end of January 2002, the General Accounting Office formally decided to sue the case, while still hoping that the Bush administration would make concessions and reach an out-of-court settlement. However, the Bush administration "refuses to take soft and hard" and continues to reject it for various reasons. In the end, the General Audit Office had no choice but to go to the court to seek an explanation. According to reports, between February and May 2001, Cheney and his energy team met with 400 leading figures from more than 150 companies, chambers of commerce, trade unions and environmental organizations. Enron, as the largest energy trader in the United States, is Cheney's most important guest. Cheney's office also admitted that Cheney had met with Enron representatives six times before the Enron accident last year. The reason why Cheney is tough is that the president and vice president have the "executive privilege" of listening to advisers telling the "truth". This right is protected by the Constitution and the General Accounting Office has no right to interfere. A White House official even vividly described: "The president picked up the phone and made a long-distance call to a general on the battlefield in Afghanistan. If we follow the logic of the General Audit Office, wouldn't this phone call be investigated?" At present, both the prosecution and the defense are full of confidence in their chances of winning. In order to win the lawsuit, both sides used well-known and big-name lawyers in the United States. The General Accounting Office hired Carter Phillips of a Washington law firm to attack the government. Among the cases handled by this person in the past, 34 major cases went to the Supreme Court. Especially in the Microsoft monopoly case in the past two years, Phillips represented Microsoft in the court and made a great contribution to Microsoft's victory. The government also stepped forward with strong generals. Olson, the Bush administration's chief legal adviser, Deputy Attorney General of the Justice Department, and Stephens, Assistant Secretary for Civil Affairs, joined hands to fight. In the 2000 campaign lawsuit between Bush and Gore, Olson performed well in the Supreme Court, opening the final knot for Bush to win the vote lawsuit and move into the White House. This time, the Bush administration still hopes that Olson will fight another beautiful battle. As for who wins and loses in this lawsuit, American legal experts believe that the odds of victory between the prosecution and the defense are 50:50. The case will "almost undoubtedly reach the Supreme Court" in the end, and the time will take two to three years. But it is worth noting that for the Bush administration, whether it wins or loses, it will be difficult to get an advantage. 1. Bad timing. This year is the mid-term election year in the United States, with all members of the House of Representatives, 1/3 of the Senate and a large number of governor positions being elected. Enron's bankruptcy case has long been a stir. Once this case opens, it will definitely cause a new round of fierce speculation in the press. The image of the Republican Party will obviously be damaged;2. The impact will be far-reaching. Enron's bankruptcy case had recently cooled down, but now that the General Accounting Office has filed a complaint, Enron's relationship with the Bush administration will once again attract attention. The 2004 presidential election will also kick off next year. The lawsuit "Walker v. Cheney" is just in full swing, and Bush will face various difficulties in his re-election campaign.