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

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.

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.

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

Photo: Linda Carter (not Robert Gibbs) as Wonder Woman. Credit: YouTube

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Comments

[RK]

He might as well stand up there with his fingers in his ears yelling, "LA-LA-LA-LA-LA... I can't HEAR you!!!!!!"

This administration is not going to end well.

[Daniel Lage]

Typical Democrat hypocrisy. What about all of the lies that have been told to the American people about the agenda of the regime? There must be hundreds of investigations going on for all of the lies told about the health care bill itself. And if you want a good starting focal point for lies, lets have an impeachment hearing on the fearless leader himself, The Obamasiah!

[PaulRevere]

What adminstration, usually you have a leader in an administration and the clown running the show has definitely not once shown that he has the gon$&ds to stand up for this country. He does a lot of assk%%ing, a lot of apologizing, let's other country leaders tells us how bad we are and then you have a room full of morons who stand there and applaud Socialists who are invited into our country and just trash and smear who we are and then tell us how we need to make our laws! When the leader of the country has stricter laws for violating their immigration policies and they are definitely not nice in the deportation or incarceration of violators. I lived there for 7 years I know

[PaulRevere]

Open your eyes people we are being run by an invisible government. One that believes all that it does is a secret and that the public does not need to know anything because they know best. You have the majority of the press cowering in corners and all hailing the chief (of what who knows). Can you remember when the press were bulldogs and each reporter left no stone unturned to get to the truth, where have they gone? You people are being fed white washed and sanitized news on a daily basis. You are receiving the news that does not offend the god running our country only. Wake up people quit being sheep that are being led to the slaughter by staying in line with your nose in the as# of the person in front of you! This moron who is the press secretary is the biggest jerk around and you can see if he was told to jump off the Empire State Building he would for his god! What an idiot to allow your ethics in life to be so tarnished and I am sure his mother is so very proud of him as he stands there and shovels manure to the American people on a daily basis!

[Alphadog]

Our president is a criminal, plain and simple.

[TPN]

How would that be a "bribe?" If the White House was willing to make a bona fide offer of an important position to anyone, would it not require discontinuance of that person's present or future conflicting activities? Did the White House "bribe" Hillary Clinton to resign from the Senate?

It appears to me the Times is casting its lot with spoiled White House reporters who weren't spoon-fed the answer they wanted, and in the process giving Darrell Issa yet another opportunity to stir more partisan discontent with an unfounded claim of wrongdoing.

[Jethro]

TPN:
Section 4 of Article 2 of the Constitution says that the President and ALL civil officers can be impeached for BRIBERY.
Sestak claims that an official in the White House offered him an administrative position IF he stopped his campaign to run against Specter. That is a bribe, which is completely different from a Senator taking a cabinet position if it is officially offered, and giving up an existing seat. Now, if Obama and Clinton worked out some kind of deal during the primaries where she would take a fall, then I wonder about the legality of that.
Also - It's Issa's duty as the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to investigate any possiblity of unethical behavior.

[alceste]

And we ain't reached the Djakarta, Franziskus School registration page photo scandal yet: "Barry Soetoro: religion, Muslim; citizenship, Indonesian". Still, so far we are OK, have some glorious hallmarks of this administration (a few): Eric Holder sueing the daylight from the CIA operatives, the teros trial in civil courts in NYC, the Arizona debacle, where a Union state under siege is refused assistance by the federal government, the Iran debacle, the N. Korea debacle, the auntie Odinga (?) grossierty - heck, what else? Oh, I forgot - in about two-three years we'll see an atomic strike somewhere in the world, courtesy to El Baradei. Nice -

[student1776]

This is the Obama administration's Watergate. Sestak would be insane to lie under oath to protect them then take the fall for lying. As for the question about whether this is a crime - the laws are quite clear on this - offering a government position in exchange for any action is a felony - 100% beyond the shadow of a doubt. No jury on earth would find them innocent on this even if they wanted to since the law is so specific.

[zzatwill]

Imagine if a Republican acted that way. There would be a huge uproar from the typical left wing so called news outlets like the LA times, NY times and all.

(AM responds: So, gee, where did you end up finding this story?)

[Douglas J. Bender]

A few things that stood out to me:

- Gibbs' avoidance and denials are not accompanied by his typical smug and condescending demeanor. This indicates that he (and therefore Obama and his administration) consider the questions about Sestak to be quite serious and threatening.

- Gibbs' deflections all apparently involve essentially the same answer, or answers much like the following: "I have nothing to add to what I said in March". This indicates that he has been carefully coached by Obama and his administration to not say anything more than this. And this indicates that Obama and his administration are fearful of what might come about from these accusations from Sestak.

Myself, I would not be surprised to hear, sometime in the not-too-distant future, that a flight on which Sestak is a passenger has experienced some unknown technical failure, and crashed into the ocean, with no survivors. This is not a prediction, but merely an observation on what my reaction would be to hearing such news.

[Dau.of Patton's 3rd]

.........about those video tapes of obama and khalidi from 2003. Did you ever release those, LA Times?

(AM responds: The newspaper never did. Just as it wouldn't tell anyone who you really are.)

[Alisha]

ROFLOL....wow, does it get any clearer than this. Wait I can now see through that new black tarp....is that a speck of mud there??? Ummmm.

[scott]

I do not believe this will be the Obama regime's Watergate because I do not believe the press will pursue it vigorously. Look for Obama to be photographed with the marginalized and with Hollywood glitter gypsies, and to show his iron-willed solidarity with starving children and oil-soaked sandpipers. The press will be miffed by Gibbs' treatment of them but will not attack Obama; the honeymoon will last 6 1/2 more years.

[Joshua Zambrano]

Argh, when are we going to get George Bush and his bunch of liars out of the White House? Oh, wait...

[Gekkobear]

At least their ethics are transparent. At least I assume they are, I've never seen any evidence of them... that's how transparent they are.

Is that not what you thought they meant by "most transparent" administration ever? I thought it was obvious. If something is truly and totally transparent, you can never see it at all.

[John Q.]

Keep digging... the stench of this one is too strong. A pattern of corruption is showing, from Blago' senate seat buying to NY's Patterson being squeezed not to run, with a little Colorado interference and job offers as well. Oh, and lets not forget the Obama-care health bill bribes as well. Obama is dirty on this for sure, as a control freak, all gets his approval. It's a violation of several Federal Laws, but don't expect Holder to do anything, he's a puppet on a string. Members of Congress and the press need to keep the heat on the WH and Sestak.

[Mandy]

The White House put out a statement that essentially said, we investigated ourselves and found we did no wrong doing.

What kind of crap is that?

Are we going to let BP investigate themselves too?

[Rat Chaser]

Mr. Douglas J. Bender hit the nail on the head! I hope Mr. Sestak doesn't fly on any airplanes soon as they are doomed to crash to keep certain information quiet. The White house is obviously admitting guilt by not providing any new information since March. What a bunch of crooks! This would be just like Watergate but the media chooses not to investigate. Since the White House already investigated themselves and no improprieties were found, we should all feel safe. No explanation to the public is needed. Chicago thuggery!

[Jay B.]

This is spectacular, how come this man is allowed to speak in the name of the White House? Don't anyone give him better stuff to say that these non answers?

[Dog patch]

I'm still waiting for the final episode in the famous Blogo Affair. The one where Obama's senate seat was put up for sale. The Sestak Affair is just another echo of that. Same group of people, same tactics. The Obama Group is so waist deep in fraud, they look you straight in the eye and say,"I don't know nawthing".

[The Phoenician]

Most corrupt, unethical, anti-American, political, anti-business, and inept Administration in the history of the USA.