Chuck Todd: White House Lost Faith in Sebelius’ Ability to Sell ObamaCare

‘The president didn’t even praise her when he claimed victory on the launch of Obamacare just last week’

Networks: Kathleen Sebelius Exits on a 'Relatively High Note,' 'Decision to Leave Was Hers' (NewsBusters)

All three network morning shows on Friday highlighted the departure of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Good Morning America's Jon Karl insisted that the exit was a "chance for her to leave on a relatively high note." CBS This Morning's Jan Crawford claimed  that "Sebelius made clear the decision to leave was hers." Over on NBC's Today, Chuck Todd dished dirt, explaining, "In addition to the management issues, the White House also lost confidence in her ability to sell the product publicly." 

He gossiped, "Senior aides were not happy with how she struggled in what should have been a friendly interview with Jon Stewart." However, if Sebelius struggled, Today viewers didn't know about it for weeks after the October 7th Daily Show appearance. It wasn't until October 31, 2013 that the botched interview was mentioned on Today. Back then, Todd briefly conceded, "When she went in front of Jon Stewart at the Daily Show, that became a big problem. It became another PR problem." Despite this "PR problem," Today viewers didn't see an actual clip until Friday.

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