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Saturday, May 22, 2010

Sestack Beat Specter - Now He has some Explaining to Do

A leading House Republican is threatening to file an ethics complaint against Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) if he doesn’t reveal who in the White House offered him a job to drop out of the Pennsylvania Senate primary.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the top Republican on the Oversight and Government Reform committee, said Sestak needs to explain what job he was offered and who at the White House was involved. Sestak, who beat Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) in the Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday, said on a Philadelphia radio station in February that the White House offered him a job to drop out of the race.

Issa said he or another member of Congress would file a formal complaint to the House ethics committee by July 4 if someone else doesn’t bring the matter to the Office of Congressional Ethics, which handles ethics complaints from outside groups.

“I’ve reviewed the capability and appropriateness,” of filing a complaint, Issa said. “I’m one of many members of Congress considering that it has to be done if he doesn’t come clean.”

If the White House offered Sestak a job to drop out of the race, it could violate federal law that prohibits interfering in elections or promising employment for political activity. Issa predicted that a potential ethics violation could narrowly focus on covering up a felony or bringing dishonor to the House. - Politico Story

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