Biden jokes John Dingell knew to avoid being caught on a hot mic

Former Vice President Joe Biden quipped Tuesday at the funeral of Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) that the veteran lawmaker had a talent for avoiding being overheard on live or “hot” microphones.

During a eulogy for the House’s longest-serving lawmaker, Biden recalled joking with Dingell during a ceremonial White House event for the signing of the Affordable Care Act in 2010.

{mosads}”I remember John and I sitting next to President Obama, John sitting next to him, my standing to his right, when we signed the Affordable Care Act,” Biden told mourners. “All he does is look up at me and go, ‘Almost there.'”

After a brief pause for laughter from the audience, the former vice president made an observation about Dingell’s ability to avoid unintentionally broadcasting his private comments during public events, an error Biden has fallen victim to in the past.

“He knew the difference between a hot mic and a cold mic,” Biden said, before crossing himself as the audience laughed.

.@JoeBiden on Rep. John Dingell: “He knew the difference between a hot mic and a cold mic.” pic.twitter.com/9AEasqQlHH

— CSPAN (@cspan) February 12, 2019

Biden was famously caught on a hot mic during that same ceremony in 2010, when microphones overheard him telling Obama that the passage of the president’s signature health care law was a “big f—ing deal.”

The former vice president joined current and former members of Congress Tuesday in Michigan for the funeral of Dingell, who died on Thursday at age 92.

“He was a lion of the United States Congress and a loving son, father, husband, grandfather, and friend. He will be remembered for his decades of public service to the people of Southeast Michigan, his razor sharp wit, and a lifetime of dedication to improving the lives of all who walk this earth,” read a statement last week from the office of his wife, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.).