White House: No 'improper conduct' on Sestak

[sabra]

Source: MSNBC

Top Obama lawyers release report on exchange with Senate candidate

WASHINGTON - Former President Bill Clinton was enlisted by the White House to speak with a Pennsylvania lawmaker about dropping his primary challenge against Sen. Arlen Specter in exchange for a job, NBC News reported Friday.

A memorandum from the White House's top lawyer confirmed that Clinton "agreed to raise with Congressman Sestak options of service on a Presidential or other Senior Executive Branch Advisory Board."

...

White House counsel Bob Bauer wrote in a report prepared after a review of the matter "We have concluded that allegations of impropoer conduct rest of factual errors and lack a basis in the law."

The positions discussed, the White House said, would have been unpaid.

Speculation had centered around a possible suggested appointment for the former admiral as the Secretary of the Navy. Bauer refuted that claim, writing that "at no time was Congressman Sestak offered, nor did he seek, the position of Secretary of the Navy."

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37381922/ns/politics-white_house/

---

WH memo here: http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/MSNBC/Sections/NEWS/A_Politics/___Politics_Today_Stories_Teases/Sestak%20Memorandum.pdf

[tavalon]

1. Let's bring the newscycle back to the only thing that should be discussed

BP and their continuing lies and coverups. I know BP would just love to have this newscycle end and our attention to be drawn elsewhere and I say, No.

[newtothegame]

10. Absolutely. All allegations of misconduct need to be immediately swept under the rug.

That's the White House's job.

[tavalon]

22. You don't seem newtothegame at all

[wordpix]

26. no joke---this "Sestak story" is deliberately contrived to take heat off BP & coastal oil drilling

Assholes

[SpiralHawk]

2. "You right-wing whack-job hypocrites can go pound sand." - White House

[notesdev]

3. They may say it's not improper

but it's a federal felony to offer someone a bribe (in this case a federal job) to drop out of an election, and government jobs aren't supposed to be traded as a quid pro quo, either.

This is extremely serious stuff - we're talking impeachable offense here. There are limits to what is fair game for political horse trading and both ends of this transaction are way over the line.

If there's a better explanation, they better come up with it quick, as this alone can hand Specter's seat back to the GOP, to say nothing of the ongoing damage to the administration.

[SpiralHawk]

4. "z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z." - Sensible People Who Endured Bush and have O tolerance for hypocrisy

eom

[tqla]

5. did you read this part?

"White House counsel Bob Bauer wrote in a report prepared after a review of the matter "We have concluded that allegations of improper conduct rest of factual errors and lack a basis in the law." The positions discussed, the White House said, would have been unpaid.

As far as I know this happens all the time. This is just another tactic in the Right's desire to impeach every Democratic president from here on out. We should have nailed Bush when we had he chance.

[No Elephants]

30. If Reply 16 cites the only relevant statute, I agree with Bauer, However, I would never simply take

the word of White House counsel that the WH acted properly, any more than I would just take the word of an accuser that the WH acted improperly.

[Chef Eric]

7. "Impeachable offense"???!! Ha, that concept is so '90s.

George W. Bush took us into the 21st century, where anything goes.



:yoiks:

[Democat]

8. If this was illegal, every president in history would have gone to jail.

Laughable.

[ShockediSay]

31. Republicans want a criminal investigation; Let's add a Bushie investigation!

One special prosecutor to investigate Obama and Bush administrations, for the Sestak tempest, and the misinformation, run up and conduct of the Iraq War, respectively, looking for criminal conduct.

See if this is what the American people want.

[OregonBlue]

9. KKKarl is that you?

[msanthrope]

14. Kindly cite the statute you think was broken and

With specificity, tell us how the conduct described meets the elements???

[notesdev]

16. USC 18-211

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/211.html

Acceptance or solicitation to obtain appointive public office

"Whoever solicits or receives, either as a political contribution, or for personal emolument, any money or thing of value, in consideration of the promise of support or use of influence in obtaining for any person any appointive office or place under the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both."

[The Magistrate]

18. None Of these Things, Sir, Apply Here

Appointment to an unpaid position is neither money nor a thing of value. Nor is declining to run in a primary election money or a thing of value.

What this law actually applies to is the sale or purchase of appointive offices, which under no conceivable construction of the events actually occurred here.

[msanthrope]

21. Let's not let fact, law, or logic ruin a perfectly good accusation.

I asked the poster to cite the statute, and then, prove that the behavior described fits the elements. Twice now....

Crickets.

[msanthrope]

19. As I requested, you failed to point out how any of the behavior described

fits the required elements.


As I asked above, tell me the elements of this crime, and how the behavior described fits the elements.

You assert this statute was broken--so prove it.

[No Elephants]

24. This seems to be about bribing someone to use their influence to get you appointed to a position.

Not what happened. Also, nothing like what you claimed in Reply 3.

[Unvanguard]

15. It will have no effect on Sestak, who is in no way at fault. n/t

[No Elephants]

25. Maybe, but the smear job on Sestak--by Democrats--may hurt Sestak.

[icee]

20. Do you think they'll be an SP?

[No Elephants]

23. Is it always election time?

[seabeckind]

6. Legal or illegal doesn't matter

What matters is that this is just one more instance of the good ole boy network that permeates our political system.

I don't like it when some backroom decides who's going to be on my f'in ballot.

[No Elephants]

28. This is the crux. Leave it to primary voters. Stop the deals. Stop the

"support incumbents, no matter what" policies.

Power to the people. It's our country, too, not only yours.

[Catherina]

11. Sorry. Not acceptable. Shame on the Obama and shame on Clinton n/t

[tomm2thumbs]

12. disappointing

Just picture if Sestak hadn't had such a hard-working, smart team and hadn't won... a GOP party jumper, out to save their own hide, would have beaten a genuine Democratic candidate.

That is what should shame those who set this up.

[FarLeftFist]

13. Job was supposedly offered in July

Sestak didn't announce his candidacy publicly until August.

[harkadog]

17. That is not what Sestak says.

He said Clinton called him in response to a candidacy for the Senate. The law says nothing about filing or announcing.

[wordpix]

27. who TF cares what he was offered? Presidents offer people positions all the time

The real question is why BP is not under criminal investigation for 11 homicides and ruining the environment of the Gulf Coast.

[No Elephants]

29. It's a huge country. It can have more than one question at a time. For instance, here's

another question: why were driling permits granted when adequate safeguards were not proven?

But my question and yours should probably be deferred until the gushing has been stopped. Besides, I bet investigation has begun.