Gibbs: ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ will end under Obama administration

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs vowed Sunday that the military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy will end under President Obama, and he said the repeal of the policy should ultimately come from Congress.  

“‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ will end under this president,” Gibbs declared during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” 

Gibbs said he thinks there are enough votes in the Senate to repeal the policy and he said the White House is urging the upper chamber to quickly take up the issue. 

When pressed by moderator David Gregory on the Justice Department’s decision to ask a federal judge to stay her injunction against “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” Gibbs said it doesn’t contradict the president’s position on the issue.

“The president believes the law is discriminatory and unjust,” said Gibbs, who noted that ultimately the White House wants the solution to come from the legislative branch. 

Gibbs also challenged the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over allegations of using foreign money on campaign spending, calling out the Chamber’s vice president for government affairs by name. 

“Bruce Josten could simply open up the books,” Gibbs said. “It’s a pretty easy solution to simply show the American people where the money is coming from.”

The White House and national Democrats have repeatedly questioned whether the Chamber is using foreign money in its political ad campaigns in 2010, but haven’t produced any clear evidence to show that it is. The Chamber vigorously denies the allegations.

Gibbs also said Sunday that despite the difficult political environment for Democrats, he’s confident the party will keep control of both the House and Senate after November’s midterm elections. He tried to make the argument that many House races are being run on “local issues,” something there is little evidence of this election cycle with disapproval of President Obama and national Democrats dominating most competitive races. 

During his last appearance on the program, he created a firestorm among some Democrats after he suggested there are enough seats in play in 2010 that the party’s majority is endangered.  

Gibbs deflected a question about whether he might end up as the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

“I’m happy with what I do,” Gibbs said. “I’ve spent no time thinking about and no time talking to people about what comes next for me.”   

-Updated at 11:25 a.m.