Developing~ Sestak Says He was Offered Job To Not Challenge Specters Senate Seat

[nick1985]

This could turn into Obama's Watergate.

They need to pick a fall guy and come clean now.

 

[Red Dawn]

This could turn into Obama's Watergate.

They need to pick a fall guy and come clean now.

More like Whitewater, nothing will come of it.

 

[boomerang]

This could turn into Obama's Watergate.

They need to pick a fall guy and come clean now.

It's going to take more than public outrage for that to happen. The press is going to have to do an about face and start doing their jobs.

What are the chances? I have been reading some reports of the press getting testy with Gibbs but they've got a long way to go.

Just read today that Obama is going to be on vacation and will be unable to put a wreath in place at Arlington this Memorial Day. He's a peach. :thumbsup:

Edit: Didn't read the whole thread first. It looks like my thoughts have been covered already.

 

[Ozoned]

This could turn into Obama's Watergate.

They need to pick a fall guy and come clean now.

Sestak can make all of this go away. He wants something. Go back to my OP to see what Sestak wants.

If Nobody plays ball with him, Rham is going to be the fall guy.

Linky


Congressman: White House Job Offer to Sestak May Be an 'Impeachable' Offense

Published May 25, 2010


Rep. Darrell Issa (r) said Tuesday that Rep. Joe Sestak's (l) allegation that the White House offered him a job to coax him out of a race against Arlen Specter could be an "impeachable" offense. (AP)

Rep. Joe Sestak's allegation that the White House offered him a job to drop out of the Pennsylvania Senate primary race against Arlen Specter is a crime that could lead to the impeachment of President Obama, Rep. Darrell Issa said.

But the decision by the Pennsylvania congressman not to elaborate on a so-called deal also could become a political problem as Sestak tries for the U.S. Senate seat.

The White House reportedly is going to formally address the allegation in the next few days. In the meantime, Issa, R-Calif., is one of many inside and outside Washington who want the Democratic Senate primary candidate to explain in detail what offer the White House made.

"It's very clear that allegation is one that everyone from Arlen Spector to Dick Morris has said is in fact a crime, and could be impeachable," said Issa, who is threatening to file an ethics compliant if Sestak doesn't provide more details about the alleged job offer.

Sestak, a former vice admiral in the Navy, first alleged in February that the White House offered him a high-ranking position in the administration last summer if he would sit out the primary against Specter, who won the backing of the White House and state Democratic leaders for switching parties.

The allegation is considered one of the factors that helped him defeat Specter, who was viewed as unscrupulous in doing whatever he could to keep his seat, including changing his party to win White House support for an uphill re-election battle.

But now, Sestak has to go into the general election, where his opponent, former Republican Rep. Pat Toomey, is willing to use the topic as referendum on both Sestak's and Obama's credibility.

"Congressman Sestak should tell the public everything he knows about the job he was offered, and who offered it," Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey said in a written statement. "To do otherwise will only continue to raise questions and continue to be a needless distraction in this campaign."

And Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a close ally of the president, said Sestak can't continue to lay out the charge without backing it up.

"At some point, Congressman Sestak needs to make it clear what happened," he said.

Issa said this allegation is bigger than the Senate race.

"For Joe Sestak, he can dance around it and he may or may not be a senator," he said. "But for the White House, this problem's not going away. Adm. Sestak is in fact a very reliable source."

Ann Marie McAvoy, a former federal prosecutor, said the White House could have a problem on its hands depending on what the facts show.

"If they were simply offering him a job because they thought he was a qualified person for it and there was no request made that he in essence drop out of the race, it would be different," she told Fox News. "This is why there really needs to be an in depth investigation. There needs to be witness interviews and so on to figure out what happened, who said what, what were the other circumstances surrounding it."

Issa has called on the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor but Attorney General Eric Holder has said that won't be necessary.

"We assure you that the Department of Justice takes very seriously allegations of criminal conduct by public officials," Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich told Issa in a letter. "All such matters are reviewed carefully by career prosecutors and law enforcement agents, and appropriate action, if warranted, is taken."

Weich said a special prosecutor won't be needed because the Justice Department "has a long history of handling investigations of high level officials professionally and independently, without the need to appoint a special counsel."

But McAvoy said any allegation of wrongdoing shouldn't be left to the Justice Department to decide.

"Someone in the administration had this conversation which means that would be the person mostly likely who committed the crime if there is a crime," she said. "So you have the people who are representing the people who potentially committed the crime are making the determinations as to whether anything wrong happened. That's not the way it's supposed to happen."

Issa compared any potential cover-up to the Watergate scandal of the Nixon era.the White House Tuesday of a cover up similar to the Watergate scandal.

"It's not about what was done wrong. It's about the cover up," Issa told Fox News. "And right now, there's a cover up going on at the White House 10 weeks after the allegation."

 

[ProfJohn]

I can't imagine Obama will be impeached over this, unless someone can find proof that he knew it was against the law and still made the offer.

Or some evidence that Obama himself made or cleared the offer.

It would probably take an insider, ala deep throat, to really make it work. Otherwise someone gets fired and life goes on as usual.

 

[Patranus]

I can't imagine Obama will be impeached over this, unless someone can find proof that he knew it was against the law and still made the offer.

But officer, I didn't know it was against the law to have cocaine in my car.

 

[ProfJohn]

But officer, I didn't know it was against the law to have cocaine in my car.

It's only a job offer...

or

Obama was just trying to lower the unemployment number

or

Bush lied, troops died

 

[Patranus]

It's only a job offer...

In exchange for a future political favor.

LOL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojV6MOo7w5Q

I guess I have to give MSNBC props for this one. The Times is completely out of touch.
(well only the woman, the other guy for MSNBC doesn't think it is a story at the end.)

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

We're used to our Presidents being criminals while in office. That's why the Reps defend theirs, and despite their crocodile tears about Bush the Dems will do the same.

We don't just allow corruption, we encourage it.

 

[PJABBER]

The plot thickens.

It seems Billy Bob Clinton was one of those involved in trying to dissuade Sestak from running.

When you ask an ex-President to get involved in your political machinations, you have serious concerns.

Serious enough to commit a felony?

EXCLUSIVE: White House asked Clinton to talk to Sestak about Senate run

By Greg Sargent | May 28, 2010; 9:49 AM ET
The Washington Post

Senior White House advisers asked former President Bill Clinton to talk to Joe Sestak about whether he was serious about running for Senate, and to feel out whether he'd be open to other alternatives, according to sources familiar with the situation.

But the White House maintains that the Clinton-Sestak discussions were informal, according to the sources. The White House, under pressure to divulge the specifics of its interactions with Sestak, will release a formal statement later today outlining their version of events, including Clinton's involvement.

According to the sources, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel asked Clinton and his longtime adviser, lawyer Doug Band, to talk to Sestak about the race. It's unclear right now whether the White House will say that Clinton was asked to suggest specific administration positions for Sestak, whether Clinton floated positions on his own, whether Clinton discussed other options not related to the adminstration, or whether employment even came up at all in the talks.

But the news that Clinton is at the center of this whole story is noteworthy on its own because of the former president's stature, and underscores how heavily invested the White House was in dissuading Sestak from running. The White House sent Clinton to talk to Sestak because Arlen Specter, constituting the 60th Dem vote in the Senate, was viewed as key to enacting Obama's agenda.

The White House maintains that Clinton's overtures to Sestak merely constituted an effort to gauge his seriousness about the race, the sources say, adding that Clinton was informally discussing the range of options open to Sestak as part of a larger conversation meant to ascertain Sestak's thinking.

I've been unable to ascertain precisely what Clinton discussed with Sestak in terms of his future options, but the release of the White House's formal response will clear that up.

 

[Binarycow]

Slick Willy !!!

 

[nick1985]

What the fuck is Bill doing in the middle of this? What a bonehead

 

[waggy]

why do i get the feeling sestek is going to say he was worng on the situation and try to cover it up?

 

[waggy]

ohh white house just relased something about it. seems like (so far not sure until more info comes out) they are throwing clinton under the bus...

 

[shiner]

What the fuck is Bill doing in the middle of this? What a bonehead

To be fair he thought they asked him to go talk to a Sleestak and Bill couldn't pass up an opportunity for a little cross species lovin.

 

[ProfJohn]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Clinton thing is just a smoke screen by the White House.

Sestak made it sound like someone within the White House made him a job offer, not that someone in the Democrat party made the offer or suggested it as an alternative.

Perhaps Clinton made the suggestion and then someone in the White House followed up.

 

[Patranus]

Nice to see the white house throwing Clinton under the bus which could also implicated him in (another) felony.

I love the claim 'we didn't know the law'. I wonder how that would hold up for a normal person in court and I am pretty sure they pay a lot of people large sums of money to know the law.

 

[rudder]

Nice to see the white house throwing Clinton under the bus which could also implicated him in (another) felony.

I love the claim 'we didn't know the law'. I wonder how that would hold up for a normal person in court and I am pretty sure they pay a lot of people large sums of money to know the law.

Is there room under the bus for Rahm Emmanuel?

 

[rudder]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Clinton thing is just a smoke screen by the White House.

Sestak made it sound like someone within the White House made him a job offer, not that someone in the Democrat party made the offer or suggested it as an alternative.

Perhaps Clinton made the suggestion and then someone in the White House followed up.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/2...on+to+get+Joe+Sestak+out+of+Pennsylvania+race

Tennessean.com but the story is from AP. Rahm was using clinton as the go between.

The official said Clinton discussed some type of executive branch service for Sestak that would allow him to continue serving in the House.

 

[Patranus]

Is there room under the bus for Rahm Emmanuel?

Let me check

 

[highland145]

White water. Clinton will get a pass because he was a prez.

Edit: Thinking smoke screen. Clinton was not the one making the offer but he's getting some serious points on some level if he admits he did.

 

[ProfJohn]

Nice to see the white house throwing Clinton under the bus which could also implicated him in (another) felony.

I love the claim 'we didn't know the law'. I wonder how that would hold up for a normal person in court and I am pretty sure they pay a lot of people large sums of money to know the law.

I highly doubt that Clinton will go quietly.

Did the Obama camp forget that Mrs Clinton still wants to be president??

Also, Bill cares about his own legacy more than anything else so there is no way he becomes the fall guy for this.

Bill could implicate Obama in all of this and thus pave the way for Hillary to challenge Obama in 2012. Especially after the Democrats get an ass whopping in November.

 

[PJABBER]

Here is the latest spin...

And a direct link to the Bob Bauer (The Fixer) memo...

W.H.: Clinton spoke to Sestak on post

By: Josh Gerstein and Carol E. Lee
May 28, 2010 11:56 AM EDT

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.

The executive branch position would have been made available to Sestak under the assumption that Sestak would stay in his House seat, White House counsel Bob Bauer said in a two-page memo released Friday morning.

Bauer asserted that the discussions were “fully consistent with the relevant law and ethical requirements.”

“As the Congressman has publicly and accurately stated, options for Executive Branch service were raised with him,” Bauer wrote. “Efforts were made in June and July of 2009 to determined whether Congressman Sestak would be interested in service on a Presidential or other Senior Executive Branch Advisory Board, which would avoid a divisive Senate primary, allow him to retain his seat in the House, and provide him with an opportunity for additional service to the public in a high-level advisory capacity for which he was highly qualified.”

Bauer said White House aides did not discuss the proposals directly with Sestak, but that Emanuel “enlisted the support of former President Clinton.”

Bauer denied reports that Sestak was offered the job of Secretary of the Navy. The White House lawyer also stressed any appointment discussed was to have been “uncompensated.” However, the Bauer did not say explicitly whether offering Sestak a paid job in order to drop out of the primary would have been legal or ethical.

Sestak declined to answer questions while walking onto the House floor Friday, saying "I’ll have something for you later."

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has demanded a Justice Department investigation into the alleged offers to Sestak, arguing that they may have violated three federal laws. However, several former prosecutors have said such cases are never brought.

Sestak said as far back as February that he had been approached by the White House to take a position if he would drop his primary challenge to Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.). Since then, Sestak and the White House have offered few details, even as Democrats have grown increasingly vocal that the White House needed to offered a fuller explanation of the offer.

President Barack Obama said at his news conference Thursday that the “official” explanation would be made public soon but declined to answer questions about it.

Sestak went on to beat Specter in the primary, ousting the five-term senator who had the backing of Obama and the White House.

 

[nick1985]

So when is Rahm going to be charged with a felony?

 

[werepossum]

Meh. I just really don't see the big deal. If I'm Obama (Heaven forbid!) I'm saying I had a job for which Sestak was on my short list, but I'm not going to offer it to him if he's running for the Senate because I don't want to disrupt the primary or possibly lose the Democrat nominee during the general election. Put like that it would be very hard to see it as a bribe, and unless some idiot actually put in writing something like "If you won't run against Specter then we'll reward you with a cushy appointment" then seems to me that's an entirely reasonable defense. Frankly I don't see how it could be considered a bribe anyway unless the appointment would be greater in prestige, power, or salary and perks than being a senator.

I'm glad it is such a story just because anything that slows the Obama agenda is a good thing. (Well, almost anything; another war or a major terrorist attack or a natural disaster obviously wouldn't be a good thing.) But it's hard for me to see this as anything out of the ordinary or even rising to the level of corruption that normally rules Washington - and I certainly include Obama and his merry band of mannish women and womanish men in that corruption.

Hopefully Toomey wins going away and Sestak becomes a footnote in history.

BTW, LOL Shiner and Patranus. Those are good!