Congressman Accused Of Colluding With White House

Controversy over job 'offers' for election favors boils over again
The controversy over allegations White House officials at least as high as Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel offered two congressional candidates jobs in return for campaign favors, which apparently would violate the law, is reheating – with a claim that one of the candidates colluded with the White House on what story to tell.

Judicial Watch, a government watchdog organization, has filed a congressional ethics complaint targeting Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak, a Democrat who has confirmed he was offered a post.

Sestak has said publicly he was offered the job if he would agree to withdraw from a Senate primary campaign against Obama favorite Sen. Arlen Specter, another Pennsylvania Democrat.

Sestak stated he declined the offer and subsequently won the nomination. Republicans also have called for investigations into ethical issues involved in the White House offer.

Judicial Watch's complaint targets Sestak for ethics violations, stating his story changed after he consulted the White House.

Judicial Watch charged Sestak was communicating with the White House to "cover up criminal conduct regarding job offers made to Congressman Sestak in exchange for leaving a political campaign."

The ethics complaint, filed just days ago, says, "The record of statements made to the media suggest that Congressman Sestak and Obama White House officials conspired to cover up the facts of a job offer made to Congressman Sestak in an effort to avoid criminal sanctions for violation of the Hatch Act and other federal laws. And by so doing they may have engaged in a criminal conspiracy."

Judicial Watch said that in February Sestak went on the record stating he had been offered a "federal job" to keep him from challenging Specter. He maintained that account until the end of May, when he suggested he hadn't been offered a federal job but an unpaid position on a White House "advisory board."

Federal law bans government workers from offering anything of value, including compensation of any kind, jobs or gifts in exchange for a partisan political action, which would include withdrawing from acampaign. There also are bans on members of Congress from being on some presidential boards.

Here is more