Summary (this is local news for me...been hearing about it since March):
Joe Sestak is the Democrat who just defeated Arlen Spector in the Senate primary in PA.
Sestak, without being asked, made the statement that the White House made an offer to him, that if he drops out of the race and lets Arlen Spector become the nominee and only contender in primary, he can have a job as Secretary of the Navy in exchange for dropping out.
The White House has never denied this, only said "they've looked into it and do not believe they did anything wrong", which is a joke.
Federal Code Section 18 USC 211 says you cannot accept anything of value in return for hiring somebody.
Federal code Section 18 USC 600 says that a federal official cannot promise employment, a job in the federal government, in return for a political act.
Also, The Constitution in Article II, Section 4:
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States,
shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason,
Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."
But wait, it is coming to light that the President also tried to "clear the field" in Colorado too last year with the same illegal tactic.
Quote:
D.C. job alleged as attempt to deter Romanoff - The Denver Post
WASHINGTON — Not long after news leaked last month that Andrew Romanoff was determined to make a Democratic primary run against Sen. Michael Bennet, Romanoff received an unexpected communication from one of the most powerful men in Washington.
Jim Messina, President Barack Obama's deputy chief of staff and a storied fixer in the White House political shop, suggested a place for Romanoff might be found in the administration and offered specific suggestions, according to several sources who described the communication to The Denver Post.
Romanoff turned down the overture, which included mention of a job at USAID, the foreign aid agency, sources said.
Then, the day after Romanoff formally announced his Senate bid, Obama endorsed Bennet.
It is the kind of hardball tactics that have come to mark the White House's willingness to shape key races across the country, in this case trying to remove a threat to a vulnerable senator by presenting his opponent a choice of silver or lead.
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This is common in Chicago politics, but won't be tolerated from the White House. I could see Rahm Emmanuel taking the axe for this, but it does have the potential to be very bad for President Obama who could lose his job and also Sestak, who faces the possibility of a $2,000 fine which is small...but up to a year in Federal prison.
I'm not at all shocked that this Administration would go against the Constitution, I'm a bit surprised it is being covered Nationally by the media who usually covers things up to protect him though.
Pat Toomey now has the momentum to defeat Sestak, who was leading by only 4 points in polls prior to this.