Massa Bullied and Shoved Out Over Health Care?

As noted on Friday, House Democratic member Eric Massa was under investigation for allegedly making an inappropriate comment to a male staffer until he announced his resignation. However, today he claims that the comment made at a staffer's wedding reception on New Years Eve was nothing more than a politically incorrect drunken gaffe and that the real reason he is under investigation is because Obama's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, ordered the investigation to oust him because he wouldn't vote to pass the President's health care bill. Massa explained in a radio interview that Rahm, completely naked, approached him in the shower at the congressional gym, pointed his finger at his chest and told him that he'd better vote for the President's budget. Massa claimed he used these tactics often to intimidate members into voting for the president's agenda. (See this link to hear the radio interview describing the confrontation: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/03/08/massa_rahm_emanuel_would_sell_his_own_mother_for_votes.html). Massa explained that because he was a "no" vote on health care, Emanuel pushed him out by using his inappropriate comment to launch an investigation to end his career and get the President that much closer to health care passage. This accusation, whether true or false, will slow an already impossibly slow bill voting process, but may in fact, lead the President to take action if general denials don't serve to make this issue disappear. I don't think Obama will fire his Chicago-style arm twister, but someone will take the fall if there is too much made of this alleged blackmail, especially if it poses a threat to his obsession, health care reform.