What’s the Deal With Job Offers to Candidates?

• By C. Simon Davidson
• Roll Call Contributing Writer
• June 22, 2010, Midnight

Q: I have a question about job offers to induce candidates to exit a political race. Stories about these offers seem to have been in the news a lot lately, but I have seen no clear answer as to whether they are permissible. Some have suggested that it violates the law to offer someone a federal job in exchange for his or her withdrawing from a political race. Others have disagreed. Are these kinds of deals illegal?