Sestak Offered Job, Obama Administration Confirms

[Pangloss]

Fox News has been all over this for days if not weeks (I don't really know, but I noticed it the other night when I tuned in for the first time in years), but I think it's pretty clear that no laws were broken.

 

Unfortunately the White House has now acknowledged that Rahm Emanuel asked President Clinton to offer Sestak a job on a Presidential advisory board or some similar role, and they also confirm that this was done in order to get Sestak to withdraw from the race against Alan Specter. (Sestak declined the offer and won the primary.)

 

At the urging of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, former President Bill Clinton spoke to Rep. Joe Sestak about an unpaid position in the administration if he dropped out of the Senate Democratic primary in Pennsylvania, the White House confirmed Friday.

 

President Obama did not take part in the offer, but the offer was made and it does involve access to the President. In short, the White House Chief of Staff tried to buy off a Senate candidate. He simply chose a legal means to do so. That does not make it less sleazy, in my book.

 

ABC News story detailing today's administration press release:

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/white-house-details-bid-rep-joe-sestak-senate/story?id=10771039

 

Politico article on today's disclosures:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37916.html

 

Politico article on the widening scale of the scandal, focusing on the Clinton connection:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37939.html

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Here's the related law:

 

18 U.S.C. § 600 : US Code - Section 600: Promise of employment or other benefit for political activity: Whoever, directly or indirectly, promises any employment, position, compensation, contract, appointment, or other benefit, provided for or made possible in whole or in part by any Act of Congress, or any special consideration in obtaining any such benefit, to any person as consideration, favor, or reward for any political activity or for the support of or opposition to any candidate or any political party in connection with any general or special election to any political office, or in connection with any primary election or political convention or caucus held to select candidates for any political office, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

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ABC News discussed the issue on This Week today, with some video here (third video in this article):

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/05/this-week-this-week-the-annotated-version-5302010.html#tp

 

Mathew Dowd said that he feels the biggest affect of this will be on Obama's "brand" of promising change in Washington.

 

None of the round table commentators felt that the case was prosecutable.

[jryan]

It probably isn't prosecutable as long as all involved remain friends. The crime needs a participant willing to become a witness to the crime. Their is enough evidence here of either lies or stupidity that it may be possible to apply enough heat to get someone to turn witness, but not likely.

 

One thing is for sure, Sestak has earned himself all the help that he needs from Obama! Nobody in the administration would want him feeling unappreciated! In that way this "slip" was brilliant on Sestak's part.

 

Of course, at this point they have to worry about Specter because he may well run as an independent like Lieberman did. This could very well kill their chances in November in that Senate race.

 

I find this whole debacle to be a bit of schadenfreude as we conservatives had to endure months of "Boy, those Democrats have such a big tent, don't they? How great is it that they have so much ideological room that they can accept Specter with open arms!? *swoon*" .... only to have this happen in the very next primary. *giggle-and-point-at Democrats*

[jackson33]

I doubt you'll see Spector creating any waves, at least for the November Elections. I don't see an 80yo with the power he had, interested in becoming a freshman Senator with both major parties pretty well upset with him.

 

However what he probably KNOWS about the entire process, would certainly be of interest, if he decided to write a 'tell all' book. Something was certainly offered HIM, to switch parties and maintaining seniority was not the only 'something'. Obviously helping in election efforts was and what created the problem in the first place.

 

One thing is for sure, Sestak has earned himself all the help that he needs from Obama! Nobody in the administration would want him feeling unappreciated! In that way this "slip" was brilliant on Sestak's part. [/Quote]

 

jryan; While I agree this incident, will never be prosecuted ("prosecutable", arguable), I do believe it should be aggressively investigated. First, what process led to the Blago investigation, indictment and impeachment, may not be much different than this incident (It may be, should be cleared and compensated, IMO). Second, Since, to some degree similar practices are regularly practiced and have been all thought history, especially from the Party involved, either the rule involved (in Pangloss post) should be dropped, or revised to spell out where the line is (as written Emanuel, should have already been fired and Obama should have declared no knowledge of the offer).

 

President Obama did not take part in the offer, but the offer was made and it does involve access to the President. In short, the White House Chief of Staff tried to buy off a Senate candidate. He simply chose a legal means to do so. That does not make it less sleazy, in my book. [/Quote]

 

Pangloss; Everyone is dancing around what Obama SHOULD have known, but I kind of agree he may NOT have known what was going on. His only comment to my knowledge, then indirectly from the WH Attorney, that everything was above board. Keep in mind, Emanuel was also in the Clinton Administration (staffer) and would probably be given access to Clinton and it could be somewhat benign. Sestak, in his first claim, mentioned two months, the WH and a JOB, in his accusation, none of which is cleared by Clinton making a friendly call. Technically the only one actually hurt, to the point of the election was Spector and I believe holds the key to finding out the answers.

 

He simply chose a legal means to do so. That does not make it less sleazy, in my book. [/Quote]

 

Even if Emanual went through Clinton, the offer admittedly came from the WH (likely Emanuel), making Clinton a conspirator, not the person who is committing the misdemeanor.

[Pangloss]

In that way this "slip" was brilliant on Sestak's part.

 

I really hadn't considered the possibility that Sestak might have done it deliberately. I agree that would be rather remarkable if it were true. Certainly his appearances on camera would be Oscar-worthy if that turned out to be the case. He's given the appearance of being quite confused and surprised by the questions. Interesting speculation, there.