Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/11663
10A – Daily News – Monday, June 7, 2010 GOP wants Justice probe of White House dealmaking WASHINGTON (AP) — Rebuffed before, Republicans are renewing demands for a Justice Department investigation into White House deal- making in two Senate races. The Obama admin- istration says it’s broken no laws, but Republicans aren’t taking its word. The GOP national chairman, Michael Steele, used his party’s weekly radio and Internet address to keep the political heat on the Democratic White House by urging appoint- ment of a special investi- gator or independent counsel ‘‘who can sort out the facts.’’ The White House has acknowledged discussing possible jobs with senato- rial candidates Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania and Andrew Romanoff in Col- orado — both of whom declined to step aside from challenging White- House backed incum- bents. White House defenders have argued that it’s sometimes neces- sary to avoid messy pri- mary fights. Attorney General Eric Holder rejected requests from Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Commit- tee and from California Rep. Darrell Issa, the top Republican on the House oversight committee, into the first case that came into the news: Rep. Ses- tak’s claim that he was offered an administration job if he would drop his primary challenge against Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter. The White House has acknowledged it turned to former President Bill Clinton to urge Sestak to stay in the House and accept an unpaid presi- dential advisory post rather than challenge Specter, a Republican- turned-Democrat. Sestak declined, and went on to beat Specter in the May 18 primary. And this week, the White House disclosed that it had contacted Andrew Romanoff, a for- mer Colorado House speaker, about possible administration jobs in hopes that he would not challenge Sen. Michael Bennet in the Aug. 10 Senate primary. Both the White House and Romanoff said there was no job offer, and Romanoff remains in the race. ‘‘From day one of this current flap involving Congressman Joe Sestak and now Andrew Romanoff, the White House efforts to deny, obfuscate, and mislead have only served to raise suspicions even further,’’ Steele said. Steele wants ‘‘an impartial referee’’ to get to the bottom of what the White House offered, who authorized it, who knew about it and ‘‘what was the expected trade-off for accepting the offer?’’ He said President Barack Obama’s deal- making falls far short of his promise to run the most open administration in history. McCain in fierce fight to hold onto Arizona seat LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. (AP) — A serious re- election fight wasn’t what Republican John McCain expected when he returned to the Senate after losing the presidency. But the four-term senator is battling for his political life in a race that embodies the volatility of an unpre- dictable election year. He’s facing former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, a fellow Repub- lican pushing him farther to the right as GOP voters demand conservative purity in their candidates and pun- ish those with ties to the Washington establishment. Two longtime Senate incumbents have fallen — Bob Bennett, R-Utah, and Arlen Specter, D-Pa. A third — Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark. — could see her hopes dashed this Tuesday in a runoff amid voter inclina- tion to reward political neo- phytes who adhere to party principles over experience. McCain’s popularity fell in Arizona as he spent years campaigning outside of it, twice for the White House. Hayworth, a radio talk show host who had been in Con- gress for a dozen years but lost to a Democrat in 2006, saw a chance for a political comeback. The behemoth in the race, McCain has a decades-old political orga- nization, millions in the bank and six campaign offices. He’s counting on his deep ties to Arizona and legions of longtime backers to carry him through. In contrast, Hayworth has never run statewide, is struggling to raise money and has just two offices. But he’s being fueled by disaf- fected McCain backers and voters hungry for new lead- ership. ‘‘He’s been there too long. And he hasn’t done anything for Arizona,’’ Ally Miller says of McCain, 73. ‘‘It’s time for someone new.’’ Among Hayworth sup- porters, there’s a feeling that McCain hasn’t been a loyal Republican, he’s ignored Arizona and his time has passed. Many have voted for him for years — because, they say, there wasn’t another option. With the 51-year-old Hayworth, people fed up with the sta- tus quo — and unwilling to automatically give McCain a new six-year term — have somewhere to turn. ‘‘Hayworth is a true con- servative patriot,’’ said a supporter, John Kessler. ‘‘McCain has become a big government, tax-and-spend liberal.’’