It's taken well over three months of innuendo, denial and obfuscation for Sestak and the White House to make an effort to come clean on this story. Today, they did, in lockstep."Were you ever offered a job to get out of this race? (The contest against Arlen Specter).
Sestak didn't flinch .
"Yes," he answered.
"Was it Navy Secretary?", I asked
"No comment."
He proceeded to talk about staying in the race but added that "he was called many times" to pull out.
Later, I asked, "So you were offered a job by someone in the White House?"
He said, "Yes."
When the taping stopped, Joe Sestak looked surprised .
"You are the first person who ever asked me that question."
"Last summer, I received a phone call from President Clinton," Sestak confirmed Friday in a written statement. "During the course of the conversation, he expressed concern over my prospects if I were to enter the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. ... He said that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel had spoken with him about my being on a presidential board while remaining in the House of Representatives. I said no."
Something doesn't fit here. Let's review:
In February: Sestak said he was "offered a job by someone in the White House."
Today: Sestak said he was offered a (non-paying) spot on a presidential panel by Bill Clinton.
In February, Sestak told Larry Kane that "he was called many times" to pull out of the race.
Today: Sestak told reporters: "This was the only time" that Clinton called him about pulling out. So who were the other calls from?
Maybe Sestak was confused by the question and misspoke? But after taping the interview with Kane, he confirmed the story. On more than one occasion. Last Sunday, on Meet the Press:
"It's interesting. I was asked a question about something that happened months earlier, and I felt that I should answer it honestly, and that's all I had to say about it." Sestak said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." "Anybody else has to decide on what they will say upon their role. That's their responsibility."
"I was offered a job, and I answered that," Sestak said. "Anything that goes beyond that is for others to talk about."
And Monday, on CNN (sort of):
Someone, as I said, was asked. I answered the question, and I did forthrightly for my personal accountability in that matter.
