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Obama: I Had a Scandal-Free Presidency

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May 25, 2018

Former President Barack Obama on Wednesday contrasted his presidency with those of other modern presidents, claiming his administration was free of scandals.

Obama was speaking at a technology conference in Las Vegas when he made the claim regarding his eight years in office, Newsweek reports.

"I didn't have scandals, which seems like it shouldn't be something you brag about," Obama said.

"But actually, if you look at the history of the modern presidency, coming out of the modern presidency without anybody going to jail is really good," Obama said. "It's a big deal."

Obama suggested there were less scandals within his administration because he was lenient on anyone who messed up but didn't do so out of "malicious intent."

"No one in my White House ever got in trouble for screwing up as long there wasn't malicious intent behind it," Obama said.

Critics of Obama have pointed to a number of scandals that plagued the administration, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives's (ATF) Operation Fast and Furious, the email scandal involving his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the administration's handling of Benghazi, the Solyndra scandal, the targeting of conservative organizations by the IRS, and the Department of Justice's tracking of reporter James Rosen.

Obama made similar comments earlier in the year during a private speech, the recording of which was later published online. During that event, he said his administration "didn't have a scandal that embarrassed us."