House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) took a question Thursday on the current scandal embroiling former Vice President Joe Biden after his comments on segregationists, calling him “authentic” and saying that he just meant that he is able to work across the aisle.

“I think that authenticity is the most important characteristic that candidates have to convey to the American people,” she said Thursday. “Joe Biden is authentic. He considers certain things a resource, that he has worked across the aisle — that’s what he was saying,” she added before pivoting to bread and butter issues.

She later said that “any” of the Democratic presidential hopefuls would be better than President Donald Trump.

Biden has been in a back and forth with Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) after touting the “civility” that pervaded his relationships with even strident segregationists. Biden is maintaining that he has nothing to apologize for.