Defense Secretary Ashton Carter thought it was funny when he saw the video of Vice President Joe Biden
putting his hands on the shoulders of Carter's wife and whispering in her ear – a touchy-feeling moment at Carter's swearing-in criticized for crossing the line into "creepy."
"Oh, I laughed. I laughed. I laughed. They know each other extremely well, and we’re great friends with the Bidens," he said on
NBC's "Today" show in an interview aired Tuesday.
Politico posted a clip from the show.
Story continues below video.
Politico reports Stephanie Carter later said the oddly intimate gesture didn't offend her either.
Not so for others on both the right and left.
Former Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Barney Frank,
who scoffed at Biden for not being able to "keep his mouth shut or his hands to himself," adding the shoulder fondling incident "unfortunately diminished" how people view the vice president.
"What began as a routine swearing-in ceremony for new Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Tuesday morphed into a social media celebration when Biden awkwardly placed his hands upon Carter’s wife, Stephanie,"
Fox News reported at the time.
NPR reported Biden got "a bit too close" to Carter's wife, and
New York Magazine put together a list of the "9 Times Joe Biden Creepily Whispered in Women's Ears."
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