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

[SemiCharmedQuark]

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 field 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.

...

"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?ref=fpa


I thought I'd cross post this here. Sunk like a stone in GD. :)

[quiet.american]

1. Issa (R-Idiot) is of absolutely no value. His raison d'etre is time-wasting B.S.

Remember when Henry Waxman shut down Issa's nonsense during a House hearing with a "I will have you physically removed from this meeting --"

For old-time's sake, video:
http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/20080521_henry_the_hammer_waxman_shows_issa_whos_boss/

[Cha]

3. Ever since issa got Grey Davis recalled

with petitions in Cal and planned to run for Gov himself(only arnie stepped in)..he's been looking for that next big score.

[quiet.american]

5. Hear, hear. nt

[Cha]

2. The unsuspecting brainwashable

will believe anything. They're still writing hit pieces on the Recovery Plan and dumbasses are grumbling.

[Cha]

4. "SENATE REPUBLICANS WANT SPECIAL PROSECUTOR"

.."It's hard to overstate how incredibly dumb this is."

In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder today, all seven Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee "urge the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate Congressman Joe Sestak's claim that a White House official offered him a job to induce him to exit the Pennsylvania Senate primary race against Senator Arlen Specter."

The seven -- Sens. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Orrin Hatch of Utah, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Jon Kyl or Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John Cornyn of Texas and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma -- allege that the offer would appear to violate federal criminal laws, including 18 U.S.C. 600, which prohibits promising a government position "as consideration, favor, or reward for any political activity" or "in connection with any primary election or political convention or caucus held to select candidates for any political office."

If I had to guess, I'd say these seven conservative senators are well aware of how blisteringly stupid this is, but desperate political considerations have led to this pointless manufactured outrage.

How misguided is this? Let us count the ways...."

1. Given the timeline of events, it's not even clear that there was a job offer.

2. Even if a job offer was discussed, legal experts -- including the chief ethics lawyer for the Bush/Cheney administration -- have concluded that there's nothing scandalous about this. Peter Zeidenberg, a former federal prosecutor with the Justice Department's Public Integrity unit, said, "Talk about criminalizing the political process! ... It would be horrible precedent if what really truly is political horse-trading were viewed in the criminal context of: is this a corrupt bribe?"

3. Every modern administration -- and even plenty of not-so-modern administrations -- uses appointment opportunities as leverage in political negotiations. Reagan did it; Clinton did it; Bush did it. The notion that any of this necessitated a special prosecutor is madness. Ron Kaufman, who served as President George H.W. Bush's White House political director, said, "Tell me a White House that didn't do this, back to George Washington."

And just as an aside, the seven Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee really ought to be ashamed of themselves. These same senators saw the Plame scandal, Scooter Libby and his get-out-of-jail-free card, the warrantless-wiretap scandal, the torture memos, the purge of U.S. Attorneys for political reasons, the no-bid Halliburton contracts, the cost estimates of Medicare Part D deliberately hidden from Congress, Interior Department officials literally in bed with oil company officials, the pundits paid to toe the administration's line in the media without disclosure, the probably illegal fake-news segments the administration created to run on local news outlets without disclosure, the misuse of "faith-based" grants to help Republican congressional candidates, Karl Rove's campaign "briefings" to federal offices in violation of the Hatch Act, and plenty more alleged crimes committed by the Bush/Cheney gang that I'm probably forgetting.

The seven GOP senators on the Judiciary Committee not only saw no need for a special prosecutor in any of these scandals, but they didn't even want to hold hearings on the controversies.

And now they literally want to make a federal case out of Sestak's dubious claim? It's genuinely pathetic."

Steve Benen 2:05 PM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (17)
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/

Now all of a sudden the new Democratic President Obama can't do it?

[HughMoran]

6. Yeah, and I want a pony

:rofl:

Republicans, can't win fairly - so cheat!

[Cha]

7. And, manufacture decibel splitting

poutrage while they're doing it.