Obama on Sestak job offer controversy: "Nothing improper took place"

WASHINGTON–President Obama on Thursday said “nothing improper” took place in conversations between people in his administration and Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) the Democratic Pennsylvania Senate nominee. Sestak said that an Obama White House official offered him a high level job in exchange for not challenging Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) in a Democratic primary. Sestak did and he won.

Obama was asked about this during his Thursday press conference.

Q. Can you tell the American public, sir, what your White House did or did not offer Congressman Sestak to not enter the Democratic senatorial primary? And how will you meet your levels of expressed transparency and ethics to convey that answer to satisfy what appear to be bipartisan calls for greater disclosure about that matter? Thank you.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: The — there will be an official response shortly on the Sestak issue —

Q From you?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: — which I hope will answer your questions.

Q From you, sir?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: You will get it from my administration, so — and it will — it will be coming out — when I say shortly, I mean shortly. I don’t mean weeks or months. With respect to the first —

Q Can you assure the public it was ethical and legal, sir?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: I can assure the public that nothing improper took place. But as I said, there will be a response shortly on that issue.