Friday
May282010
White House Memo Shows President Clinton Engaged Sestak
Friday, May 28, 2010 at 11:54AM
A memo released Friday by White House Legal Counsel Bob Bauer reveals that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel enlisted the support of former President Bill Clinton last summer to offer Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) an unpaid, executive branch advisory board position with the Obama administration in exchange for dropping out of Pennsylvania's Senate race.
"Efforts were made ... to determine whether Congressman Sestak would be interested in service on a Presidential or other Senior Executive Branch Advisory Board, which wold avoid a divisive Senate primary," the memo states.
In February, Sestak acknowledged during a television interview that he was, in fact, offered a position, prompting a heated response from Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee, who charged that the alleged deal could have violated the law.
However, in Friday's memo, Bauer states that the interaction between Clinton and the Pennsylvania Senate candidate was neither illegal nor unethical.
"There was no ... impropriety," the memo reads. "Such discussions are fully consistent with the relevant law and ethical requirements."
However, one prominent Republican disagrees with the White House's conclusion.
"The White House has admitted today to coordinating an arrangement that would represent an illegal quid-pro-quo," Rep. Darrell Issa, the ranking member on the House Government Affairs and Oversight Committee, said in a statement Friday. "Federal law prohibits directly or indirectly offering any position or appointment, paid or unpaid, in exchange for favors connected with an election."
The conversations between Sestak and Clinton reportedly took place in June and July of last year, a number of months after Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) switched parties. Sestak ultimately defeated Specter in the state's Democratic primary earlier this month.
Geoff Holtzman and Justin Duckham contributed to this report
"Efforts were made ... to determine whether Congressman Sestak would be interested in service on a Presidential or other Senior Executive Branch Advisory Board, which wold avoid a divisive Senate primary," the memo states.
In February, Sestak acknowledged during a television interview that he was, in fact, offered a position, prompting a heated response from Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee, who charged that the alleged deal could have violated the law.
However, in Friday's memo, Bauer states that the interaction between Clinton and the Pennsylvania Senate candidate was neither illegal nor unethical.
"There was no ... impropriety," the memo reads. "Such discussions are fully consistent with the relevant law and ethical requirements."
However, one prominent Republican disagrees with the White House's conclusion.
"The White House has admitted today to coordinating an arrangement that would represent an illegal quid-pro-quo," Rep. Darrell Issa, the ranking member on the House Government Affairs and Oversight Committee, said in a statement Friday. "Federal law prohibits directly or indirectly offering any position or appointment, paid or unpaid, in exchange for favors connected with an election."
The conversations between Sestak and Clinton reportedly took place in June and July of last year, a number of months after Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) switched parties. Sestak ultimately defeated Specter in the state's Democratic primary earlier this month.
Geoff Holtzman and Justin Duckham contributed to this report
Reader Comments (1)
Hillary will get old billy boy to fall on Obamas sword.Clinton will be obamas escape goat,but I hope Rahm will get his feathers burnt too!They say this goes on all the time,yet I feel they are crossing lines that are chargeable offenses and I hope it runs right back to Obama?
We all know Obama calls the shots and its time he got some dirt to prove hes is runnin dirty?