Can the employee rescind his acceptanace of an offer of employment?

I think it depends on what State you live in and if that State is an "at will" employer. You can contact the State Employment Agency, they should know.

An employer can rescind an offer at any time for any reason or no reason. If you incurred costs by accepting the offer (like moving or quitting a previous job) the employer may owe damages, unless you lied about not being terminated.