Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) acknowledged she and Hillary Clinton are not “besties” but that their relationship is “fine.”
During an interview with the St. Louis Post Dispatch published Monday, the Missouri Democrat dismissed the assertion that their relationship was strained and said Clinton had even invited her to her house in the past.
{mosads}”She and I are fine,” McCaskill told the newspaper.
She added: “Are we besties for the rest of our lives? No.”
McCaskill was one of the first lawmakers to preemptively endorse Clinton for president in 2016 if she runs, through the Ready For Hillary Super-PAC last June.
However, lingering ill feelings between the two made McCaskill reportedly tell a friend she did not want to be alone on an elevator with the former secretary of State after the 2008 presidential primary.
McCaskill endorsed then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama over Clinton that year. In 2006, when she was first running for the Senate, McCaskill described Bill Clinton during a debate as a great leader but not someone she wanted her daughter near. She later apologized for the comments.
She, along with more than 50 other lawmakers, has now come out in favor of Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Clinton is seen as the early favorite in polling and has said she will make a decision later this year.