White House Takes Heat for Reported Back Room Deals
The White House is taking more heat for reports of backroom deals in two U.S. Senate races. The latest questions come from Colorado.
The Obama administration appears to have been eager to make things easier for incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet. A top White House advisor contacted his challenger, fellow Democrat Andrew Romanoff, about getting out of the race.
"He suggested three positions that might be available to me, or not to pursue the Senate race, and he e-mailed me descriptions of those positions that day," Romanoff said. "I informed him that I was not going to change course."
The White House insists that there was no wrongdoing in the Colorado case. But the revelation comes just days since the White House admitted that President Obama's team sent former President Bill Clinton to offer an unpaid federal job to Pennsylvania Democrat Joe Sestak if he would drop his primary challenge to Arlen Specter.
Sestak beat Specter, and is now in the general election race to replace him.
It is a felony for a government official to promise a job for anything of value. Some Republicans called for a special investigation, but the request was denied by the Justice Department.
"I can assure the public that nothing improper took place," Obama said.
Legal or not, some say the backdoor dealing doesn't square with Candidate Obama's promises of a new and more open style of politics.
Chicago Sun-Times Bureau Chief Lynn Sweet said the deal-making issue will continue to plague the president.
"I think first there will be a demand for more details and more background about what happened and the context that they happened," Sweet said. "And I think Republicans are going to be very forcefully trying to make this and keep this an issue."
For more on this story, American Spectator contributor Peter Ferrara talked to us on CBN's Newswatch program Thursday, June 3. Check back here after 5 p.m. Eastern time to watch his interview or check your local listings for show times.
Topic: White House Takes Heat for Reported Back Room Deals
