Obama caught on open mic in Chicago: Jay Carney shrugs

CHICAGO–White House Press Secretary Jay Carney shrugged off Friday candid comments President Obama made about Republicans and budget negotiations before a private fund-raiser with donors here, not knowing his remarks were being carried in a live audio feed to a press room in the White House.

CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller in Washington caught the comments. Carney brushed it off during a briefing on Air Force One as Obama returned to Washington on Friday from Chicago.

Below, the exchange:

Q How did it happen last night that those remarks were piped back into the press room?

MR. CARNEY: It was a miscommunication, nothing more than that. But we’ve — it’s not a problem, not an issue.

Q Is the President embarrassed about anything that he said —

MR. CARNEY: Not at all.

Q — or regret —

MR. CARNEY: Not at all. There’s nothing —

Q — might have clarified them differently if he had known they were for public distribution?

MR. CARNEY: He obviously — that was meant to be a closed-press event. He was taking questions from supporters. But there’s nothing — nothing he said that contradicts anything he said in public.