Governor Rendell offers new details of Sestak job offer

Governor Ed Rendell says he had several conversations with the White House about keeping Congressman Joe Sestak out of Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race

Governor Ed Rendell says he had several conversations with the White House about keeping Congressman Joe Sestak out of Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race – but the governor says he didn’t know the administration offered Sestak an unpaid position.

Rendell says he talked “three or four times” with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel about how to persuade Sestak to back out of challenging Arlen Specter.

Rendell says he knows Democrats would have retained Sestak’s congressional seat if he ran for re-election, but says he’s now worried Republicans could take it over this fall.

“So I was very interested in that,” says Rendell. “And Chief of Staff Emmanuel and I discussed that – no question about it. And that’s why I know the White House didn’t offer him a full-time job. Because the White House’s main emphasis was getting him to stay in the Congress and run for reelection as a congressman. So I’m certain there was no full-time job offer.”

Rendell calls the continued focus on the White House offer “much ado about nothing,” and says Republicans calling for a special investigation into the matter are just playing politics and wasting time.

President Obama says the administration did “nothing improper” in using former President Bill Clinton to offer Sestak an advisory position.