After next to nothing in the first seven years of the Obama administration, the major broadcast networks finally decided to profile Obama family friend and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett as CBS’s 60 Minutes featured a tough interview conducted by CBS This Morning co-host Norah O’Donnell.
Ranging from the President’s “inability to reach across the aisle” to whether Jarrett has presented a massive conflict of interest, O’Donnell did the piece that the media should have been doing in the first year or two of the administration (if not before the 2008 election).
The nearly-13-minute profile started with the Supreme Court vacancy with O’Donnell pressing Jarrett on how the GOP’s inability to confirm Merrick Garland may “say something about President Obama's inability to reach across the aisle” and calls into question whether the President even has Republican friends in the first place.
Jarrett explained that the White House strategy is to apply pressure to Republicans like a political campaign and O’Donnell seemed astonished at the Obama administration would do such a thing on a policy and legal matter.
When Jarrett painted Republicans as purposefully standing the way of common decency on this issue, O’Donnell wondered: “Isn't politics about schmoozing, though? And isn't politics about friendship?”
The real puller of strings at the White House meandered and rebutted her earlier points and thus allowed O’Donnell to come even harder in stating that fact that it’s a problem when “it's front page news when the Republicans come here to the White House — that — that shouldn't be front page news.”
Turning to Jarrett herself, O’Donnell didn’t back down in pointing out how Jarrett had a very privileged upbringing in Chicago before meeting the Obamas plus how her West Wing office is the same one occupied by Karl Rove and Hillary Clinton in the previous two administrations. The CBS host then dropped this bomb on Jarrett’s less-than-friendly reputation:
She's the only White House advisor who at the end of the day regularly joins the President in the private residence. She says she keeps the personal and political separate, but she earned the unflattering nickname “nightstalker” because some at the White House felt she could influence his thinking.
O’Donnell noted that her reported clashing with then-Press Secretary Robert Gibbs led to his departure and when Jarrett laughed it off as “ancient history,” she continued pushing:
O’DONNELL: Well, but that — well, that's the point. Rahm Emanuel, the first chief of staff, you clashed with him, he's gone. Another White House chief of staff, bill Daley, he lasted just about a year. You are one of the few advisors that's still here.
JARRETT: Yeah. Yeah.
O’DONNELL: Is your relationship with the President more important than any other advisor?
JARRETT: No. No, and I — as I have said to you many —
O’DONNELL: Oh, come on.
Spoken like a true politician, Jarrett lamented that “[t]here are many people with whom I have had great relationships who have left” and she was “[s]orry to see many of them go” in what’s “a real tough environment.”
“Really? The word is — the word is, that you were, in part, responsible for their — for their leaving,” O’Donnell exclaimed.
As stated earlier, the media largely gave Jarrett a free pass over the years. Such examples of the media’s fawning include but aren’t limited to:
- MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts praising Jarrett in April 13, 2015 on gay rights
- NBC’s Cynthia McFadden strongly encouraging Jarrett on June 29, 2014 to endorse Hillary Clinton for president
- NBC’s Matt Lauer tag-teaming with Jarrett in January 2011 for the President to pass strict gun control measures
The New York Times did feature Jarrett in a September 2012 story that was critical of her, but did so from the left in covering for the President ahead of his reelection.
The relevant portions of the transcript from CBS’s 60 Minutes on May 22 can be found below.
CBS’s 60 Minutes
May 22, 2016
7:41 p.m. Eastern
NORAH O’DONNELL: Valerie, this is probably one of the last big fights of the president's term in office and he can't even get Senate Republicans to give him a hearing. Most Republicans won't even meet with Judge Garland. Does that say something about President Obama's inability to reach across the aisle? To have friends on the other side?
VALERIE JARRETT: Absolutely not. I don't think this is about friendship. This is about politics. I think the Republicans have made the political determination that in this election year, in this very toxic election year, I would add, that it's in their political advantage not to do so.
O’DONNELL: But in two terms, seven years, why hasn't the president been able to find a Republican that he can call up and say, “help me out on this?” Does he have any Republican friends?
(....)
JARRETT: Well, the way you convince them is to try to put enough political pressure on them so they will do the right thing. And I think that that momentum is building from the American people, and that's where the pressure will come.
O’DONNELL: So that's the strategy?
JARRETT: That is the strategy.
O’DONNELL: So since the President doesn't have a personal relationship with Republicans, instead you're going to go to the American people —
JARRETT: This isn't the matter. I — I have to —
O’DONNELL: — and put political pressure on them? It's a campaign? It's a political campaign —
JARRETT: I have to interrupt you to say this is not about personal relationships. It has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not they're chummy. This has to do with whether or not they've made the political calculus, the raw political calculus that it is in their self-interest not to give a hearing to Judge Garland. When they decide —
O’DONNELL: Does the President —
JARRETT: — when they decide it is in their self-interest, they'll do it. And it is our job, yes, to launch a campaign to encourage them to do their jobs. Just as the president did his. Nothing to do with personality. Nothing to do with schmoozing. Nothing to do with whether or not they're buddies. This is raw politics, from their perspective. And has nothing to do with what is been in the best interest of the American people.
O’DONNELL: Isn't politics about schmoozing, though? And isn't politics about friendship?
JARRETT: No, politics is about figuring out what you think. This kind of politics is about trying to fi — is about figuring out what you think you have to do to get reelected. And what we have seen, Norah, time and time again, is the Republicans decide they can't even come to the White House and go through a receiving line. They can't even show up at a state dinner, because they're afraid of about what the consequences will be if they do.
O’DONNELL: Maybe they don't feel welcome here.
JARRETT: Oh, that's not true. I — and I think if you ask them, they will say “absolutely.” They're more than welcome. They're more than invited. This has absolutely nothing, nothing to do with the President's willingness to reach out to them. He has, time and time again. And he has on the supreme court.
O’DONNELL: But Valerie, it's front page news when the Republicans come here to the White House. That — that shouldn't be front page news.
JARRETT: No, they should be here all the time. And if they would accept the invitations, they would be here all the time. I want to completely —
O’DONNELL: This has nothing to do with-- with the president's style of leadership, or his ability to reach across the aisle?
JARRETT: I want to completely debunk —
O’DONNELL: It's all the Republicans' fault?
JARRETT: — I want to completely debunk this notion that if the President were just simply more friendly and more outgoing and schmooze that this would change. This is simply about the Republicans making the political calculus that to be friendly to the White House is not in their interest.
(....)
O’DONNELL: You can measure her importance by her address in the White House West Wing. Who else has had this office?
JARRETT: The two that I am aware of are Hillary Clinton and Karl rove.
O’DONNELL: There's a lot of history then in this office.
JARRETT: There is a lot of history and I've tried to make a little bit of my own.
O’DONNELL: Part of that history comes from Valerie Jarrett's unique position in the White House. It's different from Karl Rove's. He was known as President Bush's brain and served as his political advisor. She's got at least three formal job titles, including senior advisor. But perhaps the most important part of her job description is the role that doesn't get listed: Being first friend. You are a senior advisor to the president, but you are also his best friend. I can't think of another example in a white house where there's been that kind of relationship since Bobby Kennedy and President Kennedy. It's a very unusual role.
JARRETT: It is.
O’DONNELL: And doesn't that create a conflict?
JARRETT: No, not at all. Not at all. I think it enables me to do my job really well. And everybody comes to the table with different strengths and different perspectives. And so the fact that I've known the President and the First Lady for 25 years gives me a perspective that maybe others don't have.
(....)
O’DONNELL: She's the only White House advisor who at the end of the day regularly joins the President in the private residence. She says she keeps the personal and political separate, but she earned the unflattering nickname “nightstalker” because some at the White House felt she could influence his thinking. You have clashed with Robert Gibbs about the first lady. He's gone.
JARRETT: Oh my gosh. That's nearly seven years ago, Norah. You're going back to ancient history — ( laughs)
O’DONNELL: Well, but that — well, that's the point. Rahm Emanuel, the first chief of staff, you clashed with him, he's gone. Another white house chief of staff, bill Daley, he lasted just about a year. You are one of the few advisors that's still here.
JARRETT: Yeah. Yeah.
O’DONNELL: Is your relationship with the president more important than any other advisor?
JARRETT: No. No, and I — as I have said to you many —
O’DONNELL: Oh, come on.
JARRETT: No, I don't think it is. And I think, look. There are many people with whom I have had great relationships who have left. Much to my regret. Sorry to see many of them go. I think this is a real tough environment.
O’DONNELL: Really? The word is — the word is, that you were, in part, responsible for their — for their leaving.
JARRETT: Well, I think that the only — many of the people left — left on their own, because of their own decisions. I'm single. My daughter is grown. I live a mile away. I'm able to give this job my 24/7 in a way that many people aren't. And it's reasonable to say that people would burn out.
O’DONNELL: But the President has had five chiefs of staff. He's had one —
JARRETT: It's a tough job.
O’DONNELL [TO JARRETT]: He's had one Valerie Jarrett.
(....)
O’DONNELL: Does the President think he's contributed at all to that rancor?
JARRETT: Not to the rancor, no. I think his tone and his approach has always been one of bringing people together. He's been the unifier. He's one that focuses on what we have in common, not what our differences are.
