Research Briefing

Obama Administration, Sestak Avoid Questions Or Give Evasive Answers About Job Offer

JOE SESTAK CONFIRMS THAT HE WAS OFFERED A POSITION IN THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION

DAVID GREGORY: Yes or no. Straightforward question. Were you offered a job and what was the job?

REP. JOE SESTAK: I was offered a job. I answered that… Anything that goes beyond that we won't talk about. (NBC, “Meet The Press,” 5/23/10)

AXELROD: JOB OFFER "WOULD CONSTITUTE A SERIOUS BREACH OF THE LAW.”

White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod Confirms A Job Offer Would Be Illegal. “JOHN ROBERTS: If these conversations did happen, it marches up into the gray area, perhaps into the red area of a felony. It is a felony to induce somebody by offering them a job. DAVID AXELROD: Absolutely. ROBERTS: Why won't the white house just say either congressman a job. AXELROD: You're absolutely right, if such things happen, they would constitute a serious breach of the law, and that's why when the allegations were made, they were looked into. And there was no evidence of such a thing.” (CNN, “John King’s USA,” 5/24/10)

• “The Letter Of The Law Would Indeed Seem To Make It Illegal For Any Officer Of An Executive Branch Agency Acting In His Executive Capacity From Interfering In A Political Race (18 USC 595)…” “This White House has promised to hold itself accountable to a higher standard than previous administrations. Though the letter of the law would indeed seem to make it illegal for any officer of an executive branch agency acting in his executive capacity from interfering in a political race (18 USC 595)… They've bragged about their ethics record. And it seems incongruous, at best, to dismiss a claim, brought on by a person who could become a senator, that a senior administration official might have acted inappropriately.” (Marc Ambinder, “High Ethical Standards? Then Investigate the Sestak Allegations,” The Atlantic, 5/24/10)

OBAMA PROMISED TO END TRANSACTIONAL POLITICS AND INSTITUTE “UNPRECEDENTED” OPENNESS

Obama “Promised Not To Perpetuate Business As Usual” Yet Still Used The Same Shady Tools Of Politics.  “’I don’t see the scandal,’ Steve Elmendorf, who was chief of staff to former Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri when he was the House Democratic leader, said in an e-mail message. ‘Sestak is totally qualified for the job, and Dem and Rep presidents routinely offer members of Congress jobs for all sorts of reasons.’ Indeed, Douglas B. Sosnik, the White House political director under President Bill Clinton, said using jobs to reward political friends was simply ‘business as usual.’ But, he added, that was the problem: Mr. Obama promised not to perpetuate business as usual. ‘It cuts against the Obama brand,’ he said. ‘The public tolerance for these deals is less than in the past.’” (Peter Baker, “For Sestak Matter, a ‘Trust Us’ Response From White House,” The New York Times, 5/24/10)

Despite Obama Pledging: “My Administration Is Committed To Creating An Unprecedented Level Of Openness…” “My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government.  We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration.” (Barack H. Obama, “Transparency and Open Government,” White House Memorandum, Accessed 5/25/10)

INSTEAD, THE WHITE HOUSE & SESTAK RUN FOR COVER

“The White House's ‘Trust Us’ Response To The Sestak Matter Simply Isn't Going To Cut It.” “With public trust in government at an all time low, the White House's "trust us" response to the Sestak matter simply isn't going to cut it. If nothing inappropriate happened, as both Gibbs and Axelrod asserted, the White House should bite the bullet and reveal the details, no matter how embarrassing they might be in the short term. Otherwise, it's hard to see how this issue just disappears into the ether.” (Tom Bevan, “Best Case for White House: It's Business as Usual,” Time Magazine’s Real Clear Politics Blog, 5/24/10)

The Washington Post Editorial Board Says: “[H]igh-handed, conclusory assurances from the White House are not enough to satisfy legitimate questions about the episode… Still, the White House position that everyone should just trust it and go away is unacceptable from any administration; it is especially hypocritical coming from this one.”  (Editorial, “Lack Of Sunlight Over Mr. Sestak's Claims,” The Washington Post, 5/25/10)

When Questioned On The Allegations, “Sestak Bobbed And Weaved, And Ultimately Got Away Without Answering.” “Senate hopeful Joe Sestak joined Senate Democrats at their weekly caucus lunch today, where he was grilled by CNN producer Ted Barrett about his claim that the White House once offered him a job to get him out of the Pennsylvania primary. Sestak bobbed and weaved, and ultimately got away without answering, but if there's any indication that the story isn't going away--or that the dam is about to break--this was it.” (Brian Beutler, “Sestak Awkwardly Dodges Questions About Alleged White House Job Offer,” Talking Points Memo, 5/25/10)