Then-Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton during a 2008 debate. AP/Carolyn Kaster, file President Barack Obama once mulled whether to make Hillary Clinton a Supreme Court justice, according to his top former adviser.

The Daily News reported Tuesday that former White House official David Axelrod said Obama considered offering Clinton the job after defeating her in the presidential primary six years ago. Axelrod made the claim in his new book, "Believer: My Forty Years in Politics."

The 2008 primary contest was highly charged and at times bitter. Now facing the general election as the Democratic nominee, Obama needed Clinton's supporters to rally behind his candidacy.

At the time, Obama was said to be considering Clinton as a potential vice president. However, that move risked undercutting his own campaign, which long argued Clinton wasn't the right fit for the White House. Some supporters urged Obama to offer Clinton a Supreme Court position instead.

"In exchange for this delicate dance, Obama ought to promise her whatever she wants, including if not especially the first shot at a Supreme Court seat. She’d be a great justice," Salon columnist Thomas Schaller wrote.

Clinton's name has repeatedly surfaced over the years when Supreme Court vacancies opened up. However, Obama never publicly mentioned the possibility of appointing her to the court.

Obama ultimately appointed her to his cabinet as secretary of state after winning the 2008 race. Clinton is now the Democratic front-runner in the 2016 presidential contest.

Axelrod did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.