Chuck Todd to Jay Carney: Why Do Insiders Keep Slamming Joe Biden in Books?

‘When it comes to debates internally, the Vice President is one member, and continues to be one member of that team of rivals’

TODD: “Going back to Biden, this is the second book in three months where the president has basically -- in some way you guys have come out and had to sort of defend, buck up, whatever you want to describe it when it comes to Joe Biden’s place. Why do you think it is that Biden has been written about negatively in a couple of these books?”
CARNEY: “I'm not sure I would agree with that assessment. When asked, and the president and others simply reassert the fundamental fact here, which is that vice president Biden is a key adviser on national security matters, and domestic policy matters, and other matters for this president. The president greatly values the counsel he provides. That’s just a fact. It’s a fact known to everyone in this building every day.”
TODD: “Why do insiders seem to portray him in these books in a negative light?”
CARNEY: “I think when it comes to debates internally; the vice president is -- was one member and continues to be one member of that team of rivals. This is not somebody who the president chose to be someone who simply affirms what others are thinking. The vice president has a lot of experience. The vice president has done a lot of work on a lot of very complex issues including Afghanistan and Iraq, including a number of domestic policy issues and he plays an important role in the discussions here and that role includes expressing an opinion that isn't always agreed to by everybody in the room. And if it were, it wouldn't be what the president wanted.”

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