White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters Thursday that the interview President Barack Obama had with comedian Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show” during the 2012 campaign “was more substantive” than those with other news outlets.
Carney was referencing the information about counterterrorism efforts, like the lethal drone program, that Obama offered the nation during his interview with Stewart, October of last year.
“When the president is asked a question, he answers it,” Carney said, when asked if “The Daily Show” was the “proper platform” for such a policy discussion. “And I think it is worth going back to the interviews that the president gave during the campaign, and I think you would note that that interview was more substantive than many others.”
Carney quoted what the president told Stewart on Oct. 18, 2012 in discussing counterterrorism strategies, to prove that the president has talked about the drone program and American government targeting people publicly.
“‘One of the things that we’ve got to do’ — and I’m quoting him,” Carney said. “‘Is put a legal architecture in place and we need congressional help to do that to make sure that not only am I reined in, but any president is reined in, in terms of some of the decisions that we’re making.'”
“He goes on to say,” Carney continued quoting Obama. “‘Now there are some trade-offs. I mean, there are times when there are bad folks somewhere on the other side of the world and you’ve got to make a call and it’s not optimal. But when you look at our track record, what we’ve been able to do is say we ended the war in Iraq, we’re winding down the war in Afghanistan, we’ve gone after al-Qaida and its leadership.'”
Carney added that he is “sure [Obama] will talk about it publicly in the future.”