The wires services are reporting this morning that Rahm Emmanuel had former president Bill Clinton approach Joe Sestak about getting out of the primary race against Arlen Specter. According to the report from the AP, "A White House official familiar with the matter says Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel used Clinton as a go-between to ask Sestak to drop out of the race against Republican-turned-Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter. The official said Clinton discussed some type of executive branch service for Sestak that would allow him to continue serving in the House."
If this is correct, then it seems to me to be an admission that a crime was committed -- not by Clinton (although he may be covered as well), but by Emmanuel. As a government employee, Emmanuel is not allowed to use the prospect of a government job to affect participation in a primary or a general election. Using Clinton as an intermediary may muddy the water, but it is no defense. If Clinton was making the offer on behalf of Emmanuel, Rahm's acts were criminal. Indeed, if Rahm acted on the orders of the president, then Obama has committed a crime as well.
I have to say that I am surprised that this news has come out today when Emmanuel is out of the country. We may be seeing the beginning of a move to dump Rahm out of the White House. Alternatively, we may be seeing someone trying to undermine emmanueal's position in the administration wholly apart from anything that Obama wants.
There has been a lot of losse talk about impeaching Obama as a result of criminal acts with Sestak. Nothing will come of that, but there is a certain irony that Clinton may yet again be involved with the impeachment of a president. If I were Obama, I would worry that Bill might try to undermine Obama so that Hillary will get another shot in 2012.
This really is a Ses-pool.
No comments:
Post a Comment