BATTLELINES: Valerie Jarrett defends Biden: ‘I have an enormous amount of respect for him.’

“I had the honor of working with Joe Biden every single day for eight years. And I have an enormous amount of respect for him,” Jarrett said in a interview with NPR. She maintained that she saw Biden “be extraordinarily demonstrative to both men and women alike — and never did I take it as a sexual advance in any way.”

Plus:

Former [Obama] national security adviser Susan Rice, in a series of tweets Monday evening, said she personally never found Biden‘s “actions inappropriate or uncomfortable,“ adding that she had “always appreciated his kindness and warmth.”

I wonder if these former Obama hands see Biden as their best bet back into power.