FrankRep
05-30-2010, 09:37 AM
The Big Question: Sestak controversy overblown or big deal? (http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/100473-the-big-question-hasd-the-sestak-controversy-been-overblown)
The Hill
May 28, 2010
Some of the nation's top political commentators, legislators and intellectuals offer their insight into the biggest news of the day.
Has the Sestak job offer controversy been a distraction for the White House or is it being overplayed?
Background reading here (http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/100067-issa-sestak-scandal-could-be-obamas-watergate).
UPDATE: White House: Clinton spoke to Sestak about 'uncompensated' job
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/100471-white-house-no-impropriety-in-discussions-with-sestak
...
Justin Raimondo, editorial director of Antiwar.com (http://www.antiwar.com/), said:
In the world of Washington, D.C., it's "overblown" -- because, you know, "everybody does it." In the real world, however, where most of us live, it's not overblown, precisely because "everybody does it." I like what Rep. Darrell Issa had to say: "This may be the way business is done in Chicago, but it’s not the way things are done in our nation’s capital and I am intent on getting to the bottom of this."
My advice to Issa: This is a job for Patrick J. Fitzgerald.
...
John F. McManus, president of The John Birch Society (http://www.jbs.org/), said:
Offering a federal job to someone for a political favor should be roundly condemned. This is obviously what happened in the runup to Mr. Sestak challenging Sen. Specter. Let us hope that some heads will roll.
The federal government is too large and abuses like this are likely far more common than we are told. One answer to this kind of abuse is to shrink the federal government by canceling its presence in so many areas where it is not authorized (education, housing, medicine, and more).
If this incident is a distraction for the White House, that's good news. It will keep the occupant and his staff from doing more harm to this nation.
...
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch (http://www.judicialwatch.org/), said:
Rep. Sestak’s allegations are extremely serious and yet we’ve heard nothing from the Obama White House but vague denials of wrongdoing and outright stonewalling.
It’s time for everyone involved in this scandal to come clean. There is simply no wiggle room. Either Sestak lied about the federal job offer or someone at the White House likely committed a felony. It’s that simple.
Attorney General Eric Holder’s refusal to appoint a special counsel in the matter is a disgrace and will not stand.
This latest bribery allegation reflects a disturbing pattern by the Obama White House. We still don’t have all the details about involvement of Obama administration officials in the sale of Obama’s former Illinois U.S. Senate seat by Rod Blagojevich. And we still don’t have answers about the charge that Obama Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina offered a federal job to Colorado Democratic Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff to keep him out of the Senate race. There is also the report that President Obama tried to push disgruntled White House Counsel Greg Craig out of the White House by offering a federal judgeship on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Now we have Joe Sestak.
The Chicago Machine has truly come to Washington.
Truth fears no inquiry. If the Obama White House has nothing to hide then it will ask for and fully cooperate with thorough Justice Department and congressional investigations of this scandal.
According to Judicial Watch, the following laws (among others) may have been violated in the Sestak matter: 18 USC 210 (http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/18/I/11/210): Offer to procure appointive public office; 18 USC 211 (http://vlex.com/vid/acceptance-solicitation-obtain-appointive-19190192): Acceptance of solicitation to obtain appointive public office; 18 USC 595 (http://law.onecle.com/uscode/18/595.html): Interference by administrative employees by Federal, State or Territorial Governments; and 18 USC 600 (http://law.onecle.com/uscode/18/600.html): Promise of employment or other benefit for political activity.
The Hill
May 28, 2010
Some of the nation's top political commentators, legislators and intellectuals offer their insight into the biggest news of the day.
Has the Sestak job offer controversy been a distraction for the White House or is it being overplayed?
Background reading here (http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/100067-issa-sestak-scandal-could-be-obamas-watergate).
UPDATE: White House: Clinton spoke to Sestak about 'uncompensated' job
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/100471-white-house-no-impropriety-in-discussions-with-sestak
...
Justin Raimondo, editorial director of Antiwar.com (http://www.antiwar.com/), said:
In the world of Washington, D.C., it's "overblown" -- because, you know, "everybody does it." In the real world, however, where most of us live, it's not overblown, precisely because "everybody does it." I like what Rep. Darrell Issa had to say: "This may be the way business is done in Chicago, but it’s not the way things are done in our nation’s capital and I am intent on getting to the bottom of this."
My advice to Issa: This is a job for Patrick J. Fitzgerald.
...
John F. McManus, president of The John Birch Society (http://www.jbs.org/), said:
Offering a federal job to someone for a political favor should be roundly condemned. This is obviously what happened in the runup to Mr. Sestak challenging Sen. Specter. Let us hope that some heads will roll.
The federal government is too large and abuses like this are likely far more common than we are told. One answer to this kind of abuse is to shrink the federal government by canceling its presence in so many areas where it is not authorized (education, housing, medicine, and more).
If this incident is a distraction for the White House, that's good news. It will keep the occupant and his staff from doing more harm to this nation.
...
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch (http://www.judicialwatch.org/), said:
Rep. Sestak’s allegations are extremely serious and yet we’ve heard nothing from the Obama White House but vague denials of wrongdoing and outright stonewalling.
It’s time for everyone involved in this scandal to come clean. There is simply no wiggle room. Either Sestak lied about the federal job offer or someone at the White House likely committed a felony. It’s that simple.
Attorney General Eric Holder’s refusal to appoint a special counsel in the matter is a disgrace and will not stand.
This latest bribery allegation reflects a disturbing pattern by the Obama White House. We still don’t have all the details about involvement of Obama administration officials in the sale of Obama’s former Illinois U.S. Senate seat by Rod Blagojevich. And we still don’t have answers about the charge that Obama Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina offered a federal job to Colorado Democratic Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff to keep him out of the Senate race. There is also the report that President Obama tried to push disgruntled White House Counsel Greg Craig out of the White House by offering a federal judgeship on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Now we have Joe Sestak.
The Chicago Machine has truly come to Washington.
Truth fears no inquiry. If the Obama White House has nothing to hide then it will ask for and fully cooperate with thorough Justice Department and congressional investigations of this scandal.
According to Judicial Watch, the following laws (among others) may have been violated in the Sestak matter: 18 USC 210 (http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/18/I/11/210): Offer to procure appointive public office; 18 USC 211 (http://vlex.com/vid/acceptance-solicitation-obtain-appointive-19190192): Acceptance of solicitation to obtain appointive public office; 18 USC 595 (http://law.onecle.com/uscode/18/595.html): Interference by administrative employees by Federal, State or Territorial Governments; and 18 USC 600 (http://law.onecle.com/uscode/18/600.html): Promise of employment or other benefit for political activity.