"Issa says he won't investigate White House job offer to Rep. Sestak"

[Clio the Leo]

Issa says he won't investigate White House job offer to Rep. Sestak
By Mike Lillis - 01/02/11 11:06 AM ET

The incoming chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said Sunday that he won't investigate the Obama administration for offering a job to a Democratic House member to keep him out of a Senate race.

Instead, Rep. Darrell Issa said that problem transcends any one administration. The California Republican indicated he wants to look at the issue more broadly, even hinting that his investigation could lead back into a closer look at the Bush administration.

"We've discovered the problem is bigger than that — it's bigger than President Obama," Issa said on CNN's "State of the Union." "Bush's people said, 'We did the same thing.'"

In February, Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) revealed the White House had dangled a job to dissuade him from running against Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) in November's midterms. Sestak won the primary contest, but lost the larger election to Republican Pat Toomey.

In response, Issa's campaign office sent a May email suggesting the episode was "Obama's Watergate."

"This may be the way business is done in Chicago, but it’s not the way things are done in our nation’s capitol and I am intent on getting to the bottom of this," the email said.

On Sunday, however, Issa backtracked, arguing that the episode is evidence of a broader problem that needs examining.

"When you offer a position, paid or unpaid, existing statute makes it illegal to offer that job in return for affecting an election," Issa said. "That is something we've got to get to stop."

Asked directly if he will investigate the Sestak case, Issa said, "No, we're not."

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/135601-issa-says-he-wont-investigate-white-house-job-offer-to-sestak

[Hawkeye-X]

1. But Issa'll still investigate that Obama is...

OBAMA!

Fucking waste of energy and oxygen. All Republicans and Blue Dogs must cease to exist.

Gloves thrown down, it's WAR.

Hawkeye-X

[Cleita]

2. This fox should not be in charge of that committee's

hen house. He's a crook and needs to be investigated himself. How did he get there and who was asleep at the wheel when it happened?

[rocktivity]

3. Issa said..."Bush's people said, 'We did the same thing.'"

They sure did!

:rofl:
rocktivity

[frazzled]

4. (Because there is nothing to investigate)

He forgot to add that

[MrModerate]

5. First off, there was nothing illegal, unprecedented, or unethical about the job offer.

I do think that it damaged relations between Sestak and the White House and may have had an effect on the election, but that's another story entirely.

More to the point, if Issa wants to investigate so much (ACORN, fer chrissake!), let's have him look a little further back than two years. How about war criminals Bush and Cheney (et al)? How about Alberto Gonzales and his league of mini-brained religious zealots? How about lunatic 'Lican funding of political hit squads? How about KBR/Halliburton contract violations?

I'd call it a target-rich environment if Issa had even the slightest interest in pursuing justice. Of course, his actual objective is to cripple the Obama administration with endless frivolous summons to appear. He wants to set up a wingnut butcher shop where they can serve up red meat to their slavering fans on a daily basis, hoping that such grand guignol displays will capture the collected attention of the commentariat and the mouth-breathers.

In a party of pusbags, Issa oozes even more than most.

[madamesilverspurs]

6. Issa on Oversight and Reform

makes almost as much sense as Michelle Bachmann on Intelligence Committee.

What's next, Bernie Madoff in charge of the US Mint?


gak