Cory Booker no longer denying he's being vetted as Hillary Clinton's VP pick
As speculation over Hillary Clinton's running mate intensifies, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker this weekend went from flatly denying he's under consideration to referring questions about vetting to the Clinton campaign.
"I'm just referring questions about the vice presidency to the woman who is going to have to make this decision," he said on CNN Sunday. "You should talk to the Clinton campaign. What I do know is that on the Democratic side, there are many fabulous candidates--people that could be really strong vice presidential candidates."
CNN's Brianna Keilar tried to get him to elaborate, saying: "That is not a no, sir. That is not a no."
"That is exactly what it is," Booker responded. "It's telling you if you have a question like that, please direct it to the Clinton campaign."
Booker's Sunday answer was a shift from mid-June, when he said definitively in an interview that he was not being vetted.
"It's flattering and everything like that, but I'm not being vetted," he told MSNBC at the time.
Booker is one of a handful of Democratic pols believed to be under consideration by the Clinton campaign. Others who frequently appear on the Democrat's speculative VP shortlists are Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Labor Secretary Tom Perez, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, among others.
One potential downside of choosing Booker is that his replacement would be appointed by New Jersey's Republican governor, Chris Christie. Asked about the possibility that Christie could become Donald Trump's VP pick, Booker said no matter who Trump picks there's no "good partnership" to help him effectively lead.
"Look, as you know, Chris Christie and I -- even though we're in different parties, and I could write a long dissertation on our disagreements -- when I was mayor of the largest city in the state and he was governor, we found ways to work together," Booker said. "But, frankly, I don't care who you put with Donald Trump. You're not going to find a good partnership to lead this country."