A representative for Vice President Joe Biden pushed back on a Politico report Tuesday that suggested Biden had told New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd his dying son’s wish that he run for president to “trial balloon” a potential campaign.
“The bottom line on the Politico story is that it is categorically false and the characterization is offensive,” a Biden spokesperson told NBC News. Biden’s team, however, did not confirm or deny that the vice president told Dowd that story.
Multiple anonymous stories told Politico that the story appearing in Dowd’s Aug. 1 column of Biden’s son Beau telling the vice president to challenge Hillary Clinton came from Biden himself. Beau Biden died of brain cancer in May.
“The bottom line on the Politico story is that it is categorically false…”
Said the Biden campaign. And almost everyone else who has ever read a Politico story.
The story was characterized in the most damaging way possible. So what if Biden spoke with Dowd? Would his speaking of his son’s wish and his desire to fulfill it be so terrible? Why must everything be turned into poison? There was no purpose for this story except to smear Biden. And on who’s behalf? They imply the Clinton campaign would stand to benefit – but I don’t think it would serve them to attack Biden in this way. No – Politico functioned as a propaganda arm of the GOP in this case to make sure any viable democrats are damaged goods.
What about Maureen Dowd’s claim? I saw Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post on Andrea Mitchell’s show today claiming “they” (members of the press) believed Biden had actually discussed this with Dowd. Someone is lying
Two MAJOR problems with the sourcing of this “story”.
Politico.
Maureen Dowd.
'nuf said. It’s birdcage liner. Nothing to see here, referee says play through. If or when Uncle Joe decides to make an announcement - whatever that announcement is - why on earth would he make it to MoDo of all people? I mean, you ask us to suspend a lot of belief in the name of “journalism” these days, but come on. That would be akin to him calling up Limbaugh and giving him the exclusive scoop.
Swing and a big miss. You know when I’ll believe something VP Joe said about this? When I see Joe in front of a camera saying it.
I’ve said from the very beginning, who it would benefit the most from a late entry into the Dem race of VP Biden the most, is every damn one of the GOP candidates in their field. Because every one of them is losing to HRC in polls.
Been saying that for a couple of months now. And we all know both Politico and MoDo to be very handy and very reliable mouthpieces for the GOP agenda.