Emanuel: Obama Is Presumptive Nominee

Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), who has remained steadfastly uncommitted throughout the Democratic primaries, said Friday that Barack Obama is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, reports Sam Stein at The Huffington Post.

“Hillary [Clinton] can’t win but something could happen that Barack could lose the nomination,” said Emanuel at a magazine conference.

The Illinois congressman has close ties to both campaigns; he was an aide to President Bill Clinton when he was in the White House, and he represents a Chicago district near Obama’s.

A spokeswoman for the House Democratic Caucus, whose leadership includes Emanuel, said however that he didn’t mean to name Obama the nominee, according to Marc Ambinder.

“I’d call it selective quoting,” said Sarah Feinberg, the caucus’s communications director. “He also stated about 90 seconds after this that he thought Sen. Clinton can still win the nomination and he stands by that.”