Nick Smith Recants: Did the pressure get to him?

[pistoff democrat]

Nick Smith now says he was never offered money for his son's campaign in exchange for supporting the Bush Medicare prescription bill. Chatterbox doesn't believe him.

Earlier this week, Chatterbox urged Rep. Nick Smith, R-Mich., to reveal who attempted to bribe him into voting for the Bush Medicare prescription bill, which he opposed on the grounds that it was too expensive. After the Nov. 22 vote, Smith had complained to the Associated Press that somebody—the AP report, in a paraphrase, said it was "House GOP leaders"—had exerted "the most intense and strongest pressure to change my vote that I've ever experienced." Subsequently, Robert Novak had reported in his column that "On the House floor, Nick Smith was told"—by whom, Novak didn't say—that "business interests would give his son $100,000 in return for his father's vote." Smith is retiring at the end of this term, and his son Brad is seeking the Republican nomination to succeed him.

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During the last few days, Smith's story has received heightened (and clearly unwanted) attention. The Campaign Legal Center and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, two watchdog groups, filed complaints with the Justice Department. So, inevitably, did Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The Detroit Free Press today has an editorial urging Smith to tell what he knows. Yesterday, the Justice Department said it would look into the matter, as it does with all such complaints.

This was the context in which Smith yesterday issued a statement that said, "No specific reference was made to money." Smith continued: "I want to make clear that no member of Congress made an offer of financial assistance for my son's campaign in exchange for my vote on the Medicare bill." Rather, Smith said, "I was told that my vote could result in interested groups giving substantial and aggressive campaign 'support' and 'endorsements.' Some members said they would work against Brad if I voted no."

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http://slate.msn.com/id/2092054/