Dems Now Calling For White House / Sestak Bribery Investigation

Jillian Bandes | May 24, 2010 12:20 PM

The chain of events is just charming. First, Rep. Joe Sestak beats Sen. Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania's Democratic Senate primary. Then, news breaks that the White House tried to bribe Sestak with a job so he wouldn't threaten Specter, and his theoretical incumbent advantage.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee,and other Republicans have started pressuring Sestak and the White House to come clean about the bribe, but no one is talking.

Now, it seems that Democrats are getting a little skittish. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) has called for the White House to release more information on the bribe, probably so Weiner can rest a little easier about his own electoral prospects. Weiner's seat is safely Democratic, but that says nothing about his personal safety in New York's Democratic primary race in September. After all, if the White House is so keen on protecting incumbents, Weiner -- with five terms under his belt and a solidly pro-Washington reputation -- is exactly the kind of legislator who could get caught up in the White House's criminal bribes.

It's true that the Republican establishment isn't much better at letting candidates organically rise to the top, but there's a big different between the NRCC's Young Guns program and the President of the United States offering a job to a potential Senator to deter him from pursuing a higher office.