There was some blue on blue action today at the White House press briefing as Carney was asked about something the #2 Dem in the Senate said about a Republican, and Carney was forced to admit that it was a lie.
Little Dick Durbin had said in an October 20 Facebook post, “in a ‘negotiation’ meeting with the president, one GOP House Leader told the president: ‘I cannot even stand to look at you.’” (Cue dramatic chipmunk music)
DrewM at AoSHQ says, “that’s a pretty serious charge.”
Say what you want about Obama but congressional leaders should be professional and respectful of the office of the president. Naturally, all the GOP leaders who were there denied it but of course they would, right?
Yeah, I get what he’s saying about “respecting the office,” but personally, I kinda like the idea that at least one Republican leader is as disgusted by Obama as I am.
White House press secretary Jay Carney on Wednesday flatly denied that a House Republican told President Obama “I cannot even stand to look at you” during negotiations over the government shutdown. “It did not happen,” Carney said, saying he discussed the incident with a “participant in the meeting.”
Transcript via RCP:
JACKIE CALMES, NEW YORK TIMES: Just to follow up on that. In terms of the president talking to Republicans, can you rule out — there was the number two Senate Democrat, Dick Durbin, said on his Facebook page that someone in recent exchange with the president said he can’t even stand, this member of Congress, that he can’t even stand to look at the president. Can you say whether that happened?
JAY CARNEY: I will say this, I spoke with somebody who was in that meeting and it did not happen.
QUESTION: Did the White House speak to Senator Durbin about this?
CARNEY: I don’t know. My understanding is that, again, from participants in the meeting that that didn’t happen.
QUESTION: Did anything like it happen that would –
CARNEY: Not that I’m aware of, Jackie.
See RCP for the video.
UPDATE:
Fox News reported that Durbin is standing by his story.
All Democrats lie shamelessly, so this is a tough call. But I’m guessing that President Thin Skin doesn’t want it out that he enraged one of these mild mannered House Republicans to the point that they said something like that. Maybe they don’t want anyone sniffing around what might have prompted such an outburst. I could be wrong, but that’s my sense of it. They’d rather sweep it under the rug.
