White House: Romanoff Asked Us for a Job

The White House today beat back allegations of shady backroom dealings with Colorado Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff, saying that yes, administration officials talked with him about a job, but only because he'd applied for one. In the administration's version, Romanoff applied for a job at the US Agency for International Development right after Obama was elected, and later “followed up by phone.”

When deputy chief of staff Jim Messina heard that Romanoff was running in Colorado—against a candidate Obama had already endorsed—he called to see if he still wanted the job. “Messina wanted to determine if it was possible to avoid a costly battle between two supporters,” the White House statement reads. “But Romanoff said that he was committed to the Senate race and no longer interested.” Romanoff's account was similar, the Washington Post notes, but didn't include the job application. (More White House stories.)