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Press Release Published: May 24, 2010

Should the White House End Stonewalling on Sestak-Job Offer…Sestak and DNC Chair Sure Think So

WASHINGTON D.C. – Appearing this morning on NBC’s Meet the Press, CBS’s Face the Nation and on Fox News Sunday, Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA), the Pennsylvania Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate and Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine said the White House should be responsible for further addressing allegations first made by Sestak in February that someone within the Obama White House offered him a job (rumored to be the Secretary of the Navy) in exchange for securing his withdrawal from the Pennsylvania Primary.

“The bottom line is all fingers are being pointed back to the White House,” said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.  “This Chicago-style politicking is an assault on our democracy and is downright criminal.  President Obama faces a critical choice – he can either live-up to his rhetoric of transparency and accountability by disclosing who inside his White House tried to manipulate an election by bribing a U.S. Congressman or he can allow his Administration to continue this stonewalling and relinquish the mantle of change and transparency he is so fond of speaking on.”

Sestak on Meet the Press:

Gregory:  What’s the answer, what’s the job you were offered?

Sestak:  Anybody else has to decide for themselves what to say upon their role and that’s their responsibility?

Gregory:  Yes or no, straight forward question, were you offered a job and what was the job?

Sestak:  I was offered a job and I answered that.

Gregory:  You said no you wouldn’t take the job?  Was it the Secretary of the Navy job?

Sestak:  Anything that goes beyond that is for others to talk about.

Kaine on Fox News Sunday

Wallace:  “Should the White House answer the question openly and honestly instead of stonewalling?”

Kaine:  “…But look, if the question gets asked, it’s something they should deal with…”