Former White House press secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday that President Barack Obama wants Hillary Clinton to be the Democratic presidential nominee.

“I think the President has signaled, while still remaining neutral, that he supports Secretary Clinton’s candidacy and would prefer to see her as the nominee,” Carney said in an interview with CNN. “He won’t officially embrace her unless and until it’s clear she is going to be the nominee.”



Carney left his job at the White House in 2014 and briefly became a commentator for CNN. He now serves as a senior executive for Amazon.

He said Wednesday that Obama was “maintaining tradition” of not endorsing a candidate until the primary process had ended.

“But I don’t think there is any doubt that he wants Hillary to win the nomination and believes she would be the best candidate in the fall and the most effective as President in carrying forward what he has achieved,” Carney said.

h/t: Politico