The most recent Republican press conference,
Darrell Issa: I would like to make a statement first. It has not become clear that Obama offered Joe Sestak a job that he was clearly qualified for. Mr. Sestak turned down the job and ran for Senate instead. This has been the most alarming development to date. It now looks like Obama actually did nothing wrong, and actually did something that is done in politics every day. This was done in an obvious attempt to get Republicans and the press to overreact to it in order to make us all look bad. Obama used the power of his office to do nothing consequential while creating an atmosphere where this all seems very consequential in order to make Republicans look as if they have no consequence. I am appalled that President Obama engaged in this type of action and believe that his lack of doing anything wrong as president while allowing us to make the case that he was doing something wrong is an impeachable offense. I have a letter here from seven Republican members of the judiciary committee asking Eric Holder to appoint a special prosecutor to determine if indeed nothing was done wrong in the Sestak case, in which case the Obama administration should be force to account for itself in this situation.
This creating of a non-scandal that we treated as a scandal because Obama is president is far beyond Watergate. As a matter of fact I believe this should be thought of as Gate-Gate. I’ll take questions now.
Jake Tapper: Do you think Obama was purposefully using his office in order to embarrass politicians and reporters by doing nothing – in other words do you think this was planned.
Issa: It was absolutely planned Jake from day one. Obama and his cronies knew that by doing nothing out of the ordinary we would jump to the conclusion that he was doing something out of the ordinary and claim that there was a scandal that didn’t exist. I think Obama needs to be forced to answer this doing nothing, business as usual road that he took. And I don’t think Gate-Gate can be swept under the rug. This was about as diabolical a plan as I have ever seen any president engage in.
Chuck Todd: What is the president just came forward and admitted in a public mea culpa that he actually did nothing out of the ordinary. Do you think that would satisfy the blood lust that is building up among Republicans and in certain segments of the press?
Issa: Chuck, I think that would be a good start certainly. If he went on television and explained to the American people why he didn’t do anything out of the ordinary and really asked their forgiveness for his lack of culpability it would probably do a good deal in helping us feel differently about Gate-Gate. But remember, it is only a beginning.
Chuck Todd: Just a follow up if I may. So he does need to go on television and admit his role in Gate-Gate to the American people, but also urge Eric Holder to assign an independent prosecutor to examine whether he actually did indeed do nothing wrong as you are accusing.
Issa: That is exactly right Chuck. I believe that is the only way out of this at this point. America cannot handle another scandal of this magnitude, and I am hoping he steps forward and does the right thing but openly admitting he did the right thing.
Raymond Hernandez: Raymond Hernandez here from the New York Times.
Issa: I like your work Mr. Hernandez.
Hernandez: Thank you. The New York Times actually has in its possession a tap of Obama saying in front of an audience of elderly veterans of Big Brother of America that if he got into office he would not be the type of president who did nothing. How damning do you think this incriminating evidence is for President Obama?
Issa: There, there, that is it exactly. It is not only that he said this but that he did so to veteran Big Brother volunteers. This is what makes this especially infuriating and really pushes a sense of urgency.
I would like to thank you all for coming. We will be having an information session tomorrow, with some very interesting allegations on a piece of property that Obama never bought, and did not even go to view.