Carney: President Was Not Aware Campaign Considered Dropping Biden In 2012

President Barack Obama, flanked by Vice President Joe Biden, talks about the crisis in Syria to media gathered in the Rose Garden of the White House Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013, in Washington.
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White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Friday that President Obama did not know that his campaign considered replacing Vice President Joe Biden with Hillary Clinton for the 2012 ticket.

“I’m not aware that he was aware of it,” Carney said at a press briefing about Obama’s knowledge of the potential switch. “The idea was never brought to him.”

According to a forthcoming book, Obama’s campaign considered replacing Biden wilth Hillary Clinton for the 2012 election. Members of Obama’s team have denied that they considered the switch.

Carney would not endorse Biden for president in 2016, but reiterated that Biden is a valuable member of Obama’s team.

“What happens in 2016, is something that we’ll see in 2016,” Carney said.

“There is little doubt that he was enormous asset to the entire cause and enterprise,” Carney said about Biden.

Although Carney did not offer a stance on Democratic candidates for president in 2016, he joked about what he would like to see in the Republican 2016 primary.

“We can talk about the Republicans. That’s interesting,” Carney said. “I think they all ought to run. It’d be awesome.” 

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