Seven Republicans Call for Special Prosecutor in Sestak Case

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Congress ,; Obama Administration

Rep. Joe Sestak, Democratic Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, on "Face the Nation," May 23, 2010.

(Credit: CBS)

The seven Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee today called on Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Joe Sestak's suggestion that he was offered a White House job in exchange for dropping his (ultimately successful) challenge to Sen. Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate primary.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Darrell Issa, who has been pressing this issue for months, called for a special prosecutor in April. He alleges that the White House may have violated anti-bribery provisions of the federal criminal code as well as prohibitions on government officials interfering in elections and using federal jobs for a political purpose if it made the offer.

Sestak has stood by his claim, made in an offhand fashion in February, that he was offered the job -- though he has refused to discuss it further. The White House has largely brushed off questions about the alleged offer, ultimately stating that the conversations were "not problematic" and that "nothing inappropriate" took place. White House senior adviser David Axelrod said that White House lawyers found any interaction to have been "perfectly appropriate."

On "Washington Unplugged" Monday, Issa said that wasn't good enough.

"No administration should be allowed to assume what they do and say is legal because they say it's legal," he said. "It's for Congress to decide whether or not this was inappropriate." He has suggested the situation could lead to President Obama's impeachment.

The seven Republicans calling for a special prosecutor are Tom Coburn, Orrin Hatch, Jon Kyl, Jeff Sessions, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Grassley and John Cornyn. In a letter, they wrote that "the White House cannot possibly manage an internal investigation of potential criminal misconduct while simultaneously crafting a public narrative to rebut the claim that misconduct occurred."

Issa's request for a special prosecutor was already rebuffed, with the Department of Justice saying it "has a long history of handling investigations of high level officials professionally and independently, without the need to appoint a special counsel."

Sestak's opponent in the Pennsylvania Senate race, Republican Rep. Pat Toomey, has called on Sestak to "tell the public everything he knows about the job he was offered, and who offered it." Issa has pushed for a House ethics investigation of Sestak.

Some Democrats, including Rep. Anthony Weiner and Sen. Dick Durbin, have called for Sestak and the White House to make clear exactly what took place. In the coming days, the White House is expected to address the matter more seriously than it has in the past.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by mypitts2 May 31, 2010 2:39 PM EDT: One of Clinton's great mistakes was to allow appointment of a special prosecutor. Starr went on an open-ended fishing expedition with limitless funding, and finally turned up an affair that led to a phony impeachment. Clinton seated the prosecutor in the spirit of transparency, and I would say, in arrogance, little suspecting how truly low his enemies would stoop. If Obama allows a prosecutor it would be supremely stupid and he would deserve whatever came from it. The Administration needs to put its boot to the neck of this non-story and move on.; Reply to this comment


by jambo223 May 29, 2010 12:11 PM EDT: Does anybody really care? I mean, please! After eight-years of total criminality where murder, torture, lying us into illegal wars, undermining of the economy and the rule of war were the order of the day, now we are worried about someone being offered an unpaid position in exchanged for remaining a member of the House rather than running for the Senate. Boy, that sounds like making a mountain out of mole hill to me!; Reply to this comment

by AngryMobVoter May 27, 2010 3:42 PM EDT

The American people deserve details and truth not assurances. The arrogance of this Administration is amazing. We should have a special prosecutor to ask everyone involved who said what to who when. By evading the question, Joe Sestak is clearly not fit to be a Senator from Pennsylvania or to hold any other office for that matter.

REMEMBER IN November...VOTE THEM OUT!!!

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by leepoe1 May 28, 2010 1:11 PM EDT: We are going to have impeachment hearings every time there is a Democrat in office but never use that on a GOP president. The fact that Dick Cheney swore there were WMD, forget that. The fact the the oil companies colluded on creating energy policy in secret meetings that no one could even know who attended, forget that. The fact that the head of purchasing for the Government was imprisoned for bribes and Jack Abramoff was in a dozen photos with Bush, forget that. In fact, forget anything any GOP crook does. We only go after Dems!


by bobtg24 May 28, 2010 3:08 PM EDT: So, anybody remember when the Reagan administration made the exact same offer to Sen. Hayakawa (R)-California back in 1982? Where was your outrage then?


by ASWltz May 27, 2010 2:31 PM EDT: To anyone who says that the Obama administration will cause the collapse of our country needs to open their ignorant eyes and realize that our country has already collapsed. Why do we care about this? Who cares!? There are millions of gallons of oil being spilled into our oceans RIGHT NOW, our Southern coasts both enviornmentally and financially are being obliterated as a result, BP (it is them, not the gov't, that is required BY LAW to take care of this disaster) is dragging their feet, and energy has to spent on this Sestak crap? Maybe the Reps going after Obama should spend a little more time helping him with this problem instead of devising ways to distract Americans and spend tax money on worthless investigations. It's f*cking petty and ridiculous.; Reply to this comment


by msimamaji May 27, 2010 12:56 PM EDT: Where were these Republicans when Karl Rove was doing all sorts of mayhem? And who is going to pay for a special prosecutor? I remember Whit Water. That was an enormous waste of tax payer money. Issa just wants to give a sinecure to one of his political cronies.; Reply to this comment


by Bisk1 May 27, 2010 11:04 AM EDT: I Know for a fact that there are WAY MORE IMPORTANTLY URGENT AND PRESSING ISSUES affecting this country right now and it's better we all work together towards fixing these problems - instead of looking into ways to Impeach a POTUS at a time we got 2 wars and an economic crisis. These Repugs have got to be the Dumbest in congress. Dumb Repugs !!; Reply to this comment


by stn_sage May 27, 2010 10:35 AM EDT: SEVEN REPUBLICANS wasting time, again!

Since the inception of this country, elected officials have offered other elected officials jobs to work in other areas than they are currently employed! This is NORMAL, standard operating procedure!!

These job offerings are made for many reasons! To fill an immediate need, the expertise of the applicant is suited to the position, it is hoped in filling the offered job, the applicant might not take another job elsewhere or act to contest for the seat of the job offerer!

The government has literally THOUSANDS of jobs it has to fill!
Since WHEN does offering someone a job, constitute BRIBERY?!

I find in interesting...but not surprising...that these SEVEN Republicans consider offering someone a job, to be an act of bribery!

It says more about them, than it does about the Obama administration!
THEY are 'out of line', and ought to drop the whole thing, before they go from looking foolish, to looking incompetent!!; Reply to this comment

by D0ntTread0nMe May 27, 2010 8:22 AM EDT

OBAMA QUOTE:
?We will promote these values above all by living them -- through our fidelity to the rule of law and our Constitution??

What, pray tell, would you know about the Constitution? Who?s Constitution are you referring to sir? It most certainly is not the United States Constitution.

The fact is that you, Mr. Obama, are extreme: In-your-face-Healthcare, Unaccountable Communist Loving Czars, Boldface Lies, Race-baiting, personal attacks on American Citizens who disagree with you and your Democrat Party, calling Tax Paying Natural Born American Citizens ?nazi?s?, attempting to cover-up or dismiss 8 terrorist attacks or attempted attacks since you stepped into the ?Office of the President?, and your fawning media that is complacently, treacherously, allowing these things to pass unquestioned, unanswered?

Moreover, it is the Democrats that ?should not be elected to any public office?, EVER! Mr. Obama and the Democrat Party are the ones with the extreme views. Democrat Party is the one who acts like nazi?s. The DemoNazi Party is the one attacking the U.S. Constitution, The DemoNazi Party wants to control free speech, The DemoNazi Party attacks the Constitutional Right to Bear Arms, The DemoNazi Party wants unfettered control of individuals lives, The DemoNazi Party ?thinks? that it can make decisions for individuals better than they themselves can. All the while you are happy to see the United States Constitution eroded, year by year, decade by decade, making political fodder out of each issue until you have the Natural Born U.S. Citizens up to their chins in fodder. We have had quite enough. Each generation has a task. This generation?s task will be to RIGHT the ship that has been listing for nearly one hundred years. That ship is the U.S. Constitution. The Natural Born Citizens are awake to the water in the bilge. YOUR party, Mr. Obama, is the water in the bilge and we have our teacups ready to bale. No federal program is more sacred than the Constitution. It is Un-American and akin to treason to trample on the Constitution. It is time to get back to the basics of the U.S. Constitution. There is no need to prove you are a Natural Born Citizen anymore. That time has passed. It is now IMPEACHMENT time for treasonous acts against the United States, the U.S. Constitution and the American People, and failure to adhere to the Presidential Oath of Office.

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by realist51 May 28, 2010 12:57 PM EDT: where was this talk six years ago when all of the above was happening under a republican't administration

by wejpgh May 27, 2010 7:53 AM EDT

Vela: Just because Clinton was not ran out of office does not make it right! You and others with your thoughts are what is wrong with our county today. Obama is BAD for our country. Everything he does is one step closer to the total collapse of our country. Never before has this county been so divided as it is under this President. I am amazed that no one sees him for what he really is? Wasn?t his past associations proof enough of who he is and what he stands for? At first I thought all you Obama supports were just nuts but I believe you are truly brainwashed as with the media! From his earliest associations to his current appointments, only goes to reinforces my views and affirms my suspensions that he is truly a Muslim who is hell bent of destroying this country from within!

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by Bisk1 May 27, 2010 10:37 AM EDT: Which current appointment makes you call him a Muslim ??? Since when does a president check with the opposition party before offering or interviewing prospects a job position within their own administration in America ??? Can someone within the REPUBLICAN PARTY remind these very dumb Repugs that they need to get off these idiotic ranting and get down to the business of Congress instead of looking for ways to Impeach the POTUS. Dumb Repugs !!

by endurorob_5 May 27, 2010 7:34 AM EDT

There is obviously something to this or the white house would not be so closed mouthed about it over the past couple of months. I guess that is what Obama "transperency" is all about.

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by Bisk1 May 27, 2010 10:41 AM EDT: What would be WRONG about interviewing and reviewing candidates for possible positions within an administration ?? What has this got to do with Transparency ?? Obviously Sestak wants to be a senator more than anything else, so WHAT ??? He declined the offer but somehow these dumb Repugs this can impeach the POTUS and are calling for a special prosecutor set to cost how much more Millions ?? But it's the Dems that are the spend party by proposing to give most Americans healthcare. Dumb Repugs !!