Jim Matheson says Obama not trying to buy his health care reform vote

SALT LAKE CITY — Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, is furious that some Republicans and bloggers suggest that President Barack Obama is trying to buy his vote on health care reform by nominating his brother, Scott M. Matheson Jr., as a federal appeals court judge.

"It's absurd," the congressman told the Deseret News.

But during an interview Wednesday on CNN's "Larry King Live," Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn., called for an investigation into the Republicans' theory.

"What in the world is going on at the White House?" she said. "Because today, the president offered a judgeship to the brother of a member of Congress. Tonight, the president has that same member of Congress at the White House pressuring him to change his vote on health care. We really need to have an independent investigation into this matter."

(On national TV in 2008, Bachmann also called for an investigation into which members of Congress might be "anti-American" because of their friends and contributors.)

Shortly after Scott Matheson's nomination Wednesday to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, conservative bloggers raised questions about whether Obama was trying to buy Jim Matheson's vote by that action.

Even the Republican National Committee hinted at it, sending e-mails to reporters noting that the congressman and several moderate "Blue Dog" Democrats who had voted against health care reform initially had been invited to the White House for a reception on Wednesday evening.

RNC spokeswoman Sara Sendek said in that e-mail, "Anyone can see that President Obama's White House soiree tonight with Jim Matheson is a blatant attempt to flip his vote on this government health care takeover."

She added, "The question on everyone's mind tonight is, 'What sweetener or special deal will it take to get Matheson's much-sought-after yes vote? Any deal Matheson accepts this evening will not save him at the polls in November."

Matheson said that the reception Wednesday had long been scheduled by Obama to thank members of Congress who had fought for pay-as-you-go rules on federal legislation. About 10 of the approximately 30 members invited were Blue Dogs who had also voted against the Democratic health care reform bill in the House.

Matheson said Obama did not talk about health care to him, nor did the president address health care in formal remarks that he gave to the entire group.