A meeting between Joe Biden's chief of staff and a major Democratic donor has reportedly put aides to Hillary Clinton on edge about the vice president's possible entry into the 2016 White House race.
According to Fox News, citing unnamed sources, Steve Ricchetti was spotted at a breakfast meeting with donor Louis Susman, a friend of Clinton who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom under President Barack Obama.
After the meeting, there was speculation in the Clinton camp that Biden's team appeared to be sounding out top fundraisers about whether Biden could raise the necessary cash to compete with the Democratic front-runner, Fox News said.
But Susman told Fox News the breakfast was "strictly a personal meeting," and that Ricchetti had been a "friend of mine for years."
When Fox News asked if Susman might raise money for Biden, he replied, "I’m not planning anything."
"Hillary Clinton's our candidate now," he added.
Susman has raised money for the presidential bids of both John Kerry in 2004 and Obama in 2008.
Biden's camp appeared to dismiss the report.
"The Biden family is going through a difficult time right now," Biden spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff told Fox News. "Any speculation about the views of the vice president or his family about his political future is premature and inappropriate."
But the response may not do anything to slow the speculation about his intentions that has been mounting for weeks.
Last month,
The Wall Street Journal reported that it was the wish of Biden's late son, Beau, and his younger brother, Hunter, that their father make one more run for the White House.
And The New York Times reported earlier this month that as
his career reaches a crossroads, he is likely weighing a bid.
The political climate could be evolving to Biden's favor after a report last week that two inspectors general are launching an investigation into
Hillary Clinton's use of a private email account for government communication when she was secretary of state.
It's unclear what effect, if any, the Clinton email probe could have on influencing Biden's decision to jump into the race.
A poll released earlier this month suggested that Biden's entry into the Democratic field would narrow Clinton's current lead.
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