MsDoodahs
06-03-2010, 08:07 AM
Gibbs: Messina called Romanoff
W.H. admits effort to avoid primary
By ALEXANDER BURNS | 06/03/10 6:47 AM
The White House acknowledged having made overtures to Colorado Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff about a possible administration appointment Thursday, the morning after the former state legislator said White House deputy chief of staff Jim Messina offered to consider Romanoff for three posts as an alternative to his Senate campaign.
In a statement released at 6:25 a.m., press secretary Robert Gibbs said Messina reached out to Romanoff to see if it would be possible to steer him away from a primary challenge to appointed Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet, and that Romanoff had applied previously for a position at USAID during the presidential transition.
"Andrew Romanoff applied for a position at USAID during the Presidential transition. He filed this application through the Transition on-line process. After the new administration took office, he followed up by phone with White House personnel," Gibbs said. "Jim Messina called and emailed Romanoff last September to see if he was still interested in a position at USAID, or if, as had been reported, he was running for the US Senate. Months earlier, the President had endorsed Senator Michael Bennet for the Colorado seat, and Messina wanted to determine if it was possible to avoid a costly battle between two supporters."
Gibbs continued, explaining that Romanoff rebuffed the overture: "Romanoff said that he was committed to the Senate race and no longer interested in working for the Administration, and that ended the discussion. As Mr. Romanoff has stated, there was no offer of a job."
Romanoff described his interactions with Messina in similar terms Wednesday evening, but did not disclose that he had applied for an administration job. He also released an e-mail from Messina describing the jobs of deputy USAID administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean, director of USAID's Office of Democracy and Governance and director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.
http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0610/gibbs_messina_called_romanoff_1a16f431-a336-4434-80f7-35479494375e.html
W.H. admits effort to avoid primary
By ALEXANDER BURNS | 06/03/10 6:47 AM
The White House acknowledged having made overtures to Colorado Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff about a possible administration appointment Thursday, the morning after the former state legislator said White House deputy chief of staff Jim Messina offered to consider Romanoff for three posts as an alternative to his Senate campaign.
In a statement released at 6:25 a.m., press secretary Robert Gibbs said Messina reached out to Romanoff to see if it would be possible to steer him away from a primary challenge to appointed Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet, and that Romanoff had applied previously for a position at USAID during the presidential transition.
"Andrew Romanoff applied for a position at USAID during the Presidential transition. He filed this application through the Transition on-line process. After the new administration took office, he followed up by phone with White House personnel," Gibbs said. "Jim Messina called and emailed Romanoff last September to see if he was still interested in a position at USAID, or if, as had been reported, he was running for the US Senate. Months earlier, the President had endorsed Senator Michael Bennet for the Colorado seat, and Messina wanted to determine if it was possible to avoid a costly battle between two supporters."
Gibbs continued, explaining that Romanoff rebuffed the overture: "Romanoff said that he was committed to the Senate race and no longer interested in working for the Administration, and that ended the discussion. As Mr. Romanoff has stated, there was no offer of a job."
Romanoff described his interactions with Messina in similar terms Wednesday evening, but did not disclose that he had applied for an administration job. He also released an e-mail from Messina describing the jobs of deputy USAID administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean, director of USAID's Office of Democracy and Governance and director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.
http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0610/gibbs_messina_called_romanoff_1a16f431-a336-4434-80f7-35479494375e.html