‘Delusional’ Valerie Jarrett Says President Obama ‘Didn’t Have Scandals,’ Republicans React

Valerie Jarrett is a longtime friend of the Obamas and one of President Obama’s most trusted advisers.

She has also elevated her profile in the wake of the election of Donald Trump to the White House Nov. 8.

She first made a splash by telling Yahoo’s Katie Couric that when it became clear Hillary Clinton would not be able to win the Electoral College in the early morning hours of Nov. 9, “it was like a punch to the gut.”

Now with that admission out of the way, Valerie Jarrett is reflecting with what The Daily Mail is calling “rose-tinted glasses” on the legacy of her boss.

On Sunday’s edition of Fareed Zakaria GPS via CNN, Valerie had this to say about the president.

“The president prides himself on the fact that his administration hasn’t had a scandal and he hasn’t done something to embarrass himself. That’s because that’s who he is — that’s who they are — and I think that’s what really resonates with the American people.”

These comments follow similar remarks that President Obama has made regarding his record in speeches since the election. One, which took place in Peru, had the president saying he was “extremely proud of the fact that over eight years we have not had the kinds of scandals that have plagued other administrations.”

Valerie Jarrett claims of scandal-free Obama admin. as honest as ‘if you like your doctor’ https://t.co/2yOlRTlj0S pic.twitter.com/VfueG9EUyJ

— TheBlaze (@theblaze) January 2, 2017

Jumping at the chance to respond to both the president and to Valerie Jarrett, the conservative Judicial Watch called the assessment “delusional.”

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told the New York Post the Obama administration “has a scandal rap sheet longer than my arm. Between just the IRS abuses, Benghazi, and the Hillary Clinton scandals, this administration was even more corrupt than Nixon’s.”

Fox News, often blamed for having a conservative slant by Valerie Jarrett and the president, named nine “scandals” on a recent episode of Fox & Friends. Those included the following.

“Operation Fast & Furious, the unsuccessful “gun walking” program that resulted in the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in December 2010;

“Benghazi, which administration officials mistakenly blamed on an anti-Islamic satire video;

“IRS officials under the administration targeting conservative organizations;

“the DOJ seizing journalists’ records;

“NSA mass surveillance, which came to light thanks to the efforts of fugitive leaker Edward Snowden;

“ransom payments for Iranian hostages;

“the Bowe Bergdahl prisoner swap in which the U.S. received back an alleged deserter in exchange for five high-terror risk prisoners;

“the Secret Service scandal; and

“the Clinton email scandal.”

One online commenter added critical delays and mismanagement at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to “make it 10.”

This particular scandal unfolded in 2014 and was specific to the Veterans Health Administration, which, it was found, had treated United States military veterans in a negligent manner resulting in delayed treatment and falsified reports.

By law, the VA must be able to set up an appointment within a 14-day window. They were unable to do that, reports claimed, and instead of bringing attention to the matter, they doctored reports to show compliance with the law.

Meanwhile, vets would have to wait well beyond the 14-day threshold and many died as a result of not getting necessary treatments/healthcare.

While Valerie Jarrett did not have a hand in the scandal, as the director of the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, critics of her “scandal-free” statements argue that even if she did not believe the other nine were “scandals,” it was shortsighted and disrespectful to veterans to overlook it.

Obama’s closest adviser, Valerie Jarrett says president has been scandal-free https://t.co/PJjZCzEQjz???????????? pic.twitter.com/g4bxQk9Le4

— ??????? ????? ? (@BlissTabitha) January 2, 2017

But what do you think, readers?

Is Valerie Jarrett right in her assessment of the president’s “scandal free” administration, or is she too forgiving? Sound off in the comments section.

[Featured Image by IREX | Flickr Creative Commons | Resized and Cropped | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]