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Opinion: Robert Gibbs turns into Wonder Woman; successfully deflects 13 questions in a row

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It was almost like White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs turned into Wonder Woman and was using her magical silver bracelets to deflect the onslaught of questions from two reporters Thursday afternoon.

Gibbs, who only resembled the superhero in fending off the assailants (he wasn’t wearing a unitard or anything), managed to successfully not answer a question although it was asked of him 13 times in a row.
An awe-inspiring performance? Absolutely. But what else would you expect from the man who called the Obama White House the most transparent in the history of the nation.

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Not that it was an important question. Just if the White House tried to bribe U.S. Rep Joe Sestak to drop out of Pennsylvania’s Senate primary by promising him a big honking job.

And it’s not like this is a crazy rumor started by some tinfoil-wearing nut bag. Sestak himself said it. Numerous times. As recently as Wednesday on CNN.

So was he offered a bribe or not? ABC’s Jake Tapper took the first shot at Gibbs.

‘Jake, I don’t have anything to add to what I said in March,’ Gibbs replied.

Back then Gibbs didn’t answer the question either except by saying ‘whatever conversations have been had are not problematic.’

Tapper politely noted that he didn’t say anything in March. ‘Then I don’t have anything to add today,’ Gibbs replied.

Fair enough. So how about if you don’t have anything to add, just starting from the beginning then? ‘Jake, I don’t have anything to add to that,’ he said.
CNN’s Ed Henry showed no fear and attempted to assist his unsuccessful colleague.

‘Can I ask a quick follow on that, because yesterday Congressman Sestak was on CNN and said, in fact, that he was offered something. He wouldn’t say more, but he said he was offered a job. Would you deny that?’

‘I don’t have anything to add to what Jake asked me,’ Gibbs said.

OK. Then how about just answering what Ed asked you? ‘I don’t have anything to add to what I said in March,’ Gibbs said.

How about Gibbs try to get more information? ‘I don’t have anything to add to what I said in March,’ he said yet again. And then again.

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The White House press corps finally cried uncle. Gibbs wore ‘em down. Somewhere Linda Carter was beaming.
But not Rep. Darrell Issa. The ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is gearing up. But he’s not going after Gibbs. He’s got Sestak in his cross-hairs.

Issa told the Washington Examiner Thursday that if Sestak won’t break, he’ll break him.

‘If Congressman Sestak will not tell us, then to be honest the only choice we have is to deal with this from a standpoint of congressional integrity,’ Issa said. ‘Under our ethics rules, either Congressman Sestak is lying, which would be an ethical violation, or he is covering up three felonies by members of the administration, which of course would be an ethical violation.’

-- Jimmy Orr

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