Specter Accuses Sestak of Misleading About White House Offer for Job

Sen. Arlen Specter took a shot at his Pennsylvania Democratic Senate primary opponent on Friday, suggesting Rep. Joe Sestak was milking his claim that the White House offered him an administration position if he dropped his challenge to Specter.

"He has made the charge to get political mileage, playing underdog without getting into specifics," Specter said in an interview on a Pennsylvania radio station.

"I am honest and will never do a deal unlike Arlen Specter who switched parties," Sestak shot back in an interview that followed Specter on the same station.

"I answered honestly, then I said no further comment. Ask the guy who is unemployed, does he care about this?" Sestak added.

The latest Rasmussen poll shows Specter leading 51 to 36 percent over Sestak in the primary. Specter, the five-term senator who was a Republican until about a year ago, won the backing of the state's Democratic Party committee last month.

Specter is reportedly headed to Atlanta next week to attend a fundraiser hosted by CNN founder Ted Turner.

On the radio interview, Specter also accused Sestak of "not paying minimum wage and not showing up to work." Specter said failing to pay his staff minimum wage is an offense that could merit jail time.

"He has voted for it, but when it comes to his campaign when he has more than $5 million in the bank, he can't pay his employees in the campaign," Specter said.  "One person who worked for him, he quit and put on blog because he couldn't make ends meet."

Specter was referring to Michael Jones, an aide who quit Sestak's campaign earlier this month and wrote a blog saying that if he counted all the extra hours he worked for the candidate he was making $1.60 per hour. Specter has issued several statements noting the wages Sestak pays his staff.

"My employees flock to my campaign," Sestak responded later.

Fox News' Mae Joo contributed to this report.