Barney Frank: Biden ‘can’t keep his mouth shut’

Barney Frank, the outspoken former Democratic representative from Massachusetts, said in an interview Tuesday that Vice President Biden “can’t keep his mouth shut or his hands to himself.”

He said on Ora’s “PoliticKING with Larry King” that Biden was “talented” but “lacks discipline.”

{mosads}“Joe’s his own worst enemy,” he said.

Frank praised Biden for taking savvy positions on Iraq and said he was someone with “very good values.”

“But he just, he can’t keep his mouth shut or his hands to himself,” Frank said. “It’s out of good intentions, but I think he has unfortunately diminished peoples’ perception of his abilities.”

Frank’s unvarnished comments have made news as he promotes his recently published memoir — and the comments about Biden might be an allusion to recent events.

Last month, Biden was attending the swearing-in ceremony of Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, when he stood behind Carter’s wife, put his hands on her shoulders and whispered into her ear.

He is also known for being candid, sometimes to the annoyance of the administration. In 2012, Biden came out in support of same-sex marriage, potentially pushing President Obama to make his own endorsement shortly thereafter.