President Obama told reporters this afternoon that the White House soon will release an official response to a claim the administration offered Rep. Joe Sestak a job in exchange for him dropping a primary challenge against Sen. Arlen Specter.
Sestak (D-PA) said this spring that he was offered a quid pro quo, but has refused to give any details despite repeated questions from the press since he defeated Specter in the May 18 primary. Obama was asked about the dust-up, which the GOP is using for political benefit, during a press conference today about the Gulf Coast oil spill.
“There will be an official response shortly on the Sestak issue which I hope will answer your questions,” Obama said. He added that he was confident “nothing improper took place.” The White House is likely to release the report in the coming days, perhaps as early as this evening. As we’ve reported, ethics groups say it does not appear to have been outside the bounds of normal politicking.
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Additional reporting by Rachel Slajda