Obama denies impropiety in administration dealings with Rep. Joe Sestak
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Attempting to deflate what Republicans have argued could be a scandal, President Obama on Thursday insisted nothing untoward had taken place in conversations with Rep. Joe Sestak, who has said he was offered a job in the administration if didn’t run against Sen. Arlen Specter.
Sestak, who won the May 18 Pennsylvania primary and is now the Democratic candidate for the Senate seat, has said the job offer was made to protect Specter, the GOP stalwart who changed parties, helping Democrats control the Senate. Specter, 80, was strongly backed by the White House and the Pennsylvania party establishment in his losing primary bid.
‘I can assure the public that nothing improper took place,’ Obama said at his news conference. He said the administration will issue a formal comment on the matter shortly.
Republicans have called for a special prosecutor to investigate the matter, and some conservatives have tried to elevate the issue, arguing that offering a job to skip the race was akin to bribery. It has also become an issue in the Senate race, with Republican candidate Pat Toomey calling for a full disclosure of conversations.
Sestak, a former Navy rear admiral, has never said what job he was offered, though he has publicly said he was offered a post in the administration by an unidentified person. The speculation is that the job would have been secretary of the Navy.
In recent days, Obama aides have said that lawyers have examined any conversations between Sestak and administration officials and have found no evidence of misconduct. They have not released any details, however.
-- Michael Muskal
