President Obama’s endorsement of a Joe Biden White House run will be conditional on having a “final say” over his choice for vice president, according to Ed Klein, author of the Hillary Rodham Clinton biography “Unlikeable.”
“Barack Obama would like to see Deval Patrick, the former governor of Massachusetts and an African-American, run on the Biden ticket,” Klein told John Catsimatidis on AM 970 radio Sunday.
Patrick, who served as assistant attorney general under then-President Bill Clinton, grew up in Chicago, Obama’s former stomping grounds. He succeeded Mitt Romney as governor of Massachusetts.
Klein said that the first family is “behind” the Draft Joe Biden movement and that they’ve given him “permission” to use Air Force Two to fly across the country promoting his possible presidential run to African-American groups, gays and unions.
Klein, the former foreign editor of Newsweek and former editor of The New York Times Magazine, has been one of the Clintons’ toughest critics. But he has accused the Obama administration — and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett specifically — of throwing gasoline on the controversy surrounding Hillary Clinton’s computer servers and searching her expense recordings for discrepancies.
“None of this would have taken place without the president’s approval,” Klein said. “Obama — if he gave Biden his endorsement — would ask for something in return . . . and what he’s asked for is a say, a final say, in Biden’s choice.”
“There is going to be no serious support for Hillary Clinton coming out of the White House,” he said in May, while promoting his previous book, “Blood Feud: The Clintons vs. the Obamas.”
Biden, who ran in the Democratic primary for president twice and served in the Senate before becoming vice president, has not committed to running for president again and has cited the recent death of his son Beau as an influence on his decision.
Biden has described his family as the biggest factor in his choice, and met with them over the weekend to make a final decision.
He has also reportedly discussed the filing deadlines with Democratic officials, a sign some describe as indicating he will run.
The motivating factor for the Obamas is keeping another Clinton out of the White House, according to Klein, who spoke on the Catsimatidis show to plug his book.
“The Obama people — that means Barack, Michelle, and Valerie Jarrett, their chief political adviser and friend — do not want to see the Clintons back in the White House,” Klein said.
“They’ve done everything in their power to stop her from getting the nomination.”