This exchange in yesterday’s White House press briefing illuminates what is widely known in Washington, but rarely mentioned: Among the Biden team, there is no broad, principled stance that the details of discussions with congressional leaders behind closed doors shouldn’t be leaked. The real rule is that details of discussions with congressional leaders behind closed doors that could make the administration look bad shouldn’t be leaked:
Q: One quick follow-up on Phil, and then another. Did the President, over the holidays, reach out directly to Senator McConnell to invite him to the event tomorrow as a show of the bipartisanship that you guys say?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, as you know, we do not talk about or lay out private conversations with congressional — congressional leadership. What you —
Q: Sometimes you do.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, sometimes we do. But —
Q: When it’s in your interests, you do. (Laughter.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, you know —
Q: Sorry, I —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right, you may have caught me there a little bit. (Laughter.)
The Biden team’s willingness to keep discussions or negotiations with congressional leaders private is highly conditional, depending upon their political needs of the moment.