Obama brushes off Gruber criticism

President Obama defended his signature healthcare law on Sunday after controversial remarks by ObamaCare architect Jonathan Gruber have set off a new wave of criticism. 

At a press conference in Brisbane, Australia, where Obama was attending a G-20 summit, Obama was asked about the comments and if he misled the public in passing the law. 

“No, I did not,” Obama said. “I just heard about this, I get well briefed before I come out here. The fact that some adviser who never worked on our staff expressed an opinion that I completely disagree with in terms of the voters, is no reflection on the actual process that was run.”

In the comments in question, Gruber, an MIT professor and health reform expert, says in remarks caught on video that the “stupidity of the American voter” and a “lack of transparency” helped Congress approve ObamaCare.

“We had a year-long debate,” Obama said. “Go look back at your stories. The one thing we can’t say is that we did not have a lengthy debate about healthcare in the United States of America, or that it was not adequately covered. Every press outlet here, go back and pull up every clip, every story. And I think it’s fair to say there was not a provision in the healthcare law that was not extensively debated and was fully transparent.”

This is the first time Obama has addressed the comments. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said Sunday that “the law is based on the issues of transparency and belief in the American people and choices in the marketplace.”