TPM: Even CREW Says Sestak's Claim Of Job Offer Is No Scandal

[Pirate Smile]

Even CREW Says Sestak's Claim Of Job Offer Is No Scandal
Zachary Roth | May 25, 2010, 3:28PM

Republicans have been launching a full-court press to trumpet the claim by Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) that the White House offered him a job in exchange for dropping out of the Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate, in an effort to clear the filed for its favored candidate, Sen. Arlen Specter, (D-PA). One GOP lawmaker has called for a criminal probe, alleging possible illegal conduct. But several experts tell TPMmuckraker this is much ado about nothing.

Last month, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) urged the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to look into Sestak's claim, which Issa says amounts to an accusation of a bribe. The White House has said that nothing inappropriate happened. And on Friday, reports Politico, DOJ responded by denying the request.

-snip-
"People horse trade politically all the time," Stan Brand, a prominent Washington criminal defense lawyer told TPMmuckraker. "So I don't put much stock in this, and I don't think its gonna go anywhere."
Even those who used to prosecute public corruption cases agree. "Talk about criminalizing the political process!" said Peter Zeidenberg, a former federal prosecutor with the Justice Department's Public Integrity unit. "It would be horrible precedent if what really truly is political horsetrading were viewed in the criminal context of: is this a corrupt bribe?"

And Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor who as the head of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington isn't known for going on easy public corruption, concurred. "There is no bribery case here," she said. "No statute has ever been used to prosecute anybody for bribery in circumstances like this."
Sloan added that Issa's move was more about politics. "It's not at all about whether there was actual criminal wrongdoing," she said. "It's about how to go after Sestak."

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/even_crew_says_sestaks_claim_of_job_offer_is_no_sc.php

[Ian David]

1. Needs a link, please. n/t

[Pirate Smile]

3. There you go - either the website or my computer keeps freezing up.

[dchill]

2. Here:

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/even_crew_says_sestaks_claim_of_job_offer_is_no_sc.php

[dchill]

4. "People horse trade politically all the time," Stan Brand,...

a prominent Washington criminal defense lawyer told TPMmuckraker. "So I don't put much stock in this, and I don't think its gonna go anywhere."

How do we think just about everybody in the Bush admin. got their jobs?

[AtomicKitten]

5. That should be a damper on the axe-grinding around this place. nt

[dchill]

6. Maybe, but I see it as ..

One Mole whacked. :)

[alc]

7. "it happens all the time" is no excuse

As I've said on other threads, I do think I happens all the time and I don't think it's criminal (or even a scandal) in this case but I do think it's a bad thing. If someone wants to run as a Democrat and I want to vote for them in the primaries to show the party what direction I want them to go, I do not want the party to be able to stop that person from running. IF this happened, the party tried to remove the eventual people's choice from the ballet. If I was from PA I'd be pretty pissed at that no matter which candidate I prefer. It's OUR choice, not the party's.

There are plenty of bad things about contested primaries: drains cash, publicizes negative, etc. But it's the voters chance to tell the party what they want. In general, voters aren't going aren't going to show their disapproval by voting republican, but they can do it in the primaries. It would be very bad if removing inconvenient candidates becomes SOP. It lets the party (instead of us) decide contested races. And, it may not take a very big incentive to convince a candidate with 15-20% of the vote to drop out so the party can say "the people are thrilled with congressman X or he wouldn't have won with 80% of the vote so you must want to keep his moderate policies".

There are valid arguments against my position. But I think a lot of people just jumped on the "Republicans are wrong" or "it happens all the time" argument without considering what the real issues are. One argument for why this is a good thing (if it happened) is that you want party unity after the election and the best way to get that is for the party to select the candidate. I'd rather see more arguments like that than "Republicans are wrong" or "it happens all the time".

[frazzled]

9. Your logic isn't working for me

"I do not want the party to be able to stop that person from running." Who stopped or attempted to stop a person from running? Even if it were true that a job was offered to him (and I'm really beginning to doubt it ), that does not stop someone from running if they want to.

What job (aside from Secretary of the Navy, which was not only already filled but not available to Sestak: he was not legally eligible to hold it) could have lured him away? And in the end, nothing did lure him away. So what's the deal? The only problem here to me is why Joe Sestak won't say what happened.

[quaker bill]

12. It is not about you or your vote

If a canidate would prefer assured patronage over a chance for hard fought victory, then perhaps you have learned something unwanted but important about them.

Alternately, if they believe in what they are doing enough to take the risk of defeat for trying over an assured comfortable salary, perhaps you have also learned something important.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

8. Republicans have nothing. Because Sestak is more likely to beat their

Tea Bagging Charlatan, Pat Toomey, they are trying to create a controversy where there is none.

The administration had better be careful, though. We don't Sestak to turn into another "ACORN" situation.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Pirate Smile]

11. kick

[Cha]

13. President Obama knows that the

gNOps & greenhams are out to get him on any trumped up charges.

"And Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor who as the head of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington isn't known for going on easy public corruption, concurred. "There is no bribery case here," she said. "No statute has ever been used to prosecute anybody for bribery in circumstances like this."
Sloan added that Issa's move was more about politics. "It's not at all about whether there was actual criminal wrongdoing," she said. "It's about how to go after Sestak."