June 03, 2010
Colorado Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff said a White House aide offered him a job to drop out of a primary race against Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).
In a statement, Democrat Andrew Romanoff, who rankled President Barack Obama's White House, said Obama's deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina tried to prevent Romanoff from challenging incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).
Romanoff said Messina called him after news of his run was reported and told him that the president would be supporting Bennet.
“Mr. Messina also suggested three positions that might be available to me were I not pursuing the Senate race,” Romanoff said. “He added that he could not guarantee my appointment to any of these positions. At no time was I promised a job, nor did I request Mr. Messina’s assistance in obtaining one.”
The three positions described in the email are two senior positions at the USAID and director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.
Romanoff said after he received the email from Messina, he called the deputy chief of staff and left a voicemail saying that he was not withdrawing from the race.
“I have not spoken with Mr. Messina, nor have I discussed this matter with anyone else in the White House, since then,” the statement read.
The White House released a statement Thursday saying that Romanoff had applied for a job during the president's transition into office.
"Andrew Romanoff applied for a position at USAID during the Presidential transition. He filed this application through the Transition on-line process. After the new administration took office, he followed up by phone with White House personnel."
The White House statement still maintains that "there was no offer of a job,” made to Romanoff.
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