Peoples Press Collective » romanoff http://www.peoplespresscollective.org Bloggage and Original News Coverage From Colorado and Around the Country Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:02:29 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= Romanoff and Sestak, Targets of White House Crime http://www.rockymountainright.com/?q=node/1222 http://www.rockymountainright.com/?q=node/1222#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:48:06 +0000 james baker  ( - promoted by Rocky Mountain Right - )

Democrat Andrew Romanoff is challenging appointed Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) in the 2010 mid-term elections.
 
On September 27, 2009, the Denver Post reported that Romanoff had been offered a job in the Obama administration. That reportage is summarized as follows:
 
  • Jim Messina, Obama's deputy chief of staff under Rahm Emanuel initiated communication with Romanoff shortly after news leaked that Romanoff would be challenging Bennet.
 
  • Messina made "specific suggestions" to Romanoff for placement in the Obama administration, "which included mention of a job at USAID, the foreign aid agency."
 
  • Romanoff rejected the offers.
 
  • Post sources for the story were "several top Colorado Democrats" who "asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject."
 
  • One day after Romanoff formally announced his challenge to Bennet, Obama endorsed Bennet.
 
  • When questioned, Romanoff refused to discuss the matter.
 
  • The White House claimed Romanoff "was never offered a position within the administration."
 
Clearly, the facts suggest that the Obama White House attempted to offer a thing of value (appointment) in exchange for a promise to not challenge Bennet, thereby supporting Bennet's senatorial position, a "place under the United States". The statute of interest is 18 USC § 211 Bribery, Graft and Conflicts of Interest: Acceptance or solicitation to obtain appointive public office.
 
Whoever solicits or receives ... any....thing of value, in consideration of the promise of support or use of influence in obtaining for any person any appointive office or place under the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. 
 
However, instead of pressing this point, the Post went into damage control for the White House. The Post expended the final 70% (753 words out of 1083 total words) of the article softening the story with soothing words that this is routine presidential behavior. Curiously, only Democrat Party players, including an advisor to the Clinton (the impeached one) White House, are the Post's authority for these soothing words.
 
Now, there is word of another job offer made to a Democrat, U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, challenging an Obama supporter in the Senate, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) in the 2010 mid-term elections. Similarly, this offer was also timed prior to formal announcement by Sestak last summer of his primary bid, Obama has endorsed Specter, Sestak turned down the offer, and the White House denies that a job offer was made.
 
Apparently, the Philadelphia Inquirer broke the story on February 19. The American Spectator picked it up this morning. American Thinker has also taken note. This time, the object of the solicitation has talked despite "the sensitivity of the subject." When asked if he had been offered a job in the Obama administration in exchange for dropping out of the primary, Sestak replied, "Yes." He also replied yes when asked if it was a high-ranking job.
 
If it is true that this sort of thing is routine, then 1) Norton, McInnis, et al. will have little to say about it, 2) the political class is truly degenerate, and 3) the country might be best served swapping them out for ethical individuals, even if they are newbies to politics. Sound ethics requires speaking up for what is right, and against what is wrong. "No Comment" does not suffice for speaking up, no matter the sensitivity of the subject. Crime is always a sensitive subject.
 
Phone calls are logged. Emails are retained. There is likely an evidence trail. An independent prosecutor is called for. People other than bloggers need to be pressing that demand.

 

]]> http://www.peoplespresscollective.org/2010/02/romanoff-and-sestak-targets-of-white-house-crime/feed/ 0 Obama Pulls an NRSC – Endorses Bennet to Shut Out Romanoff http://www.peoplespresscollective.org/2009/09/obama-pulls-an-nrsc-endorses-bennet-to-shut-out-romanoff/ http://www.peoplespresscollective.org/2009/09/obama-pulls-an-nrsc-endorses-bennet-to-shut-out-romanoff/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:18:27 +0000 T.L. James http://www.peoplespresscollective.org/?p=15056 Poor Andrew Romanoff – his candidacy is barely a day old, and President Obama is already sabotaging it:

andrew-romanoffPresident Barack Obama endorsed U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet today, throwing the force of the White House into a Democratic primary battle that officially is just over a day old.

“Families in Colorado and across America need (Bennet) in the United States Senate to help us revitalize our economy, improve our public schools and pass health-insurance reform,” Obama said in a statement released by the White House.

“Michael has had my full support from day one, and I look forward to working with him in the Senate for years to come.”

Well then. If Obama has spoken, I guess that’s that. And here I was looking forward to a contested Democrat primary to compliment the increasingly crowded Republican one…not least because the friendly fire would have weakened the survivor while handing the eventual GOP nominee some useful political fodder for the general election campaign, a la Beauprez-Holtzmann.

Sorry, Andrew, the dream was good while it lasted. At least you can take comfort in the knowledge that you aren’t alone in being shunted aside for DC’s chosen candidate – you’ve got 5 candidates on the GOP side with whom to commiserate.

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