Obama Asked Bill Clinton to Get Sestak to Drop Out of Senate Race

(Fox News) - The Obama administration asked former President Bill Clinton to act as an intermediary to try to convince Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) to drop out of a bruising fight for one of his state’s Senate seats in exchange for a senior-level position on a presidential or executive branch advisory board, White House Counsel Robert F. Bauer announced in a memo Friday.

The conversations with Sestak were initiated by Clinton at the behest of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who was Clinton's political director when he was president. Sestak won the primary last week over five-term Senator Arlen Specter, a former Republican.

Obama said Thursday that “nothing improper took place” when asked about reports of the Sestak job offer. The positions included the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, Fox News reported.

“We have concluded that allegations of improper conduct rest on factual errors and lack a basis in the law,” Bauer wrote.

Bauer pointed out that the positions were uncompensated and that Sestak was “highly qualified” for the jobs.

“The Democratic Party leadership had a legitimate interest in averting a divisive primary fight and a similarly legitimate concern about the Congressman vacating his seat in the House,” Bauer wrote in the memo.

Sestak downplayed his conversation with Clinton in a statement released approximately one hour after the White House memo. He said the call occured last summer and that Clinton "expressed concern over my prospects if I were to enter the Democratic primary" before mentioning the possibility of serving on a presidential board.

"I said no," Sestak said, adding "the former President said he knew I'd say that, and the conversation moved on to other subjects."

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), a vocal critic of the situation, felt Friday that the conversations were less than innocent.

"This is punishable by prison. This is a felony," he told Fox News.

His office highlighted U.S. code that forbids offering employment or positions in connection with any general or special election. The code suggests that punishment could include a fine or up to one year imprisonment.

Republicans have sought to shine a spotlight on the issue with Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele this week unveiling a video in which he asks supporters to up the pressure on the White House by grouping their thoughts on Twitter.