David Axelrod said President Barack Obama didn’t “embellish” when he claimed that he frequently goes skeet shooting, the Washington Post reported Saturday.
The longtime Obama confidant told the Post in an email that the White House released the photo of the President shooting clay targets at Camp David, Md. to repudiate so-called “skeeters” — individuals who questioned Obama’s claim.
“I’m sure they released the photo because there were folks raising questions about his answer, and those questions are a silly distraction in the midst of a serious debate,” Axelrod said. “I know him pretty well. He doesn’t embellish. If he says he’s done some shooting up there on occasion, I’m sure he has. He’s not a hunter or marksman and doesn’t pretend to be.”
Following the release of the photo on Saturday, Obama 2008 campaign manager David Plouffe and White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer called out those skeptics on Twitter.
Update: During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday, Axelrod said the White House should have released the photo earlier in order to get a jump on the skeptics who questioned Obama’s claim.
