'Invasive' Process for VP Vetting Has Apparently Begun

Joe Biden promised during a primary debate in March that he would pick a woman to be his running mate if he became the Democratic nominee for president. That "invasive" process—Biden's words—is reportedly about to begin in earnest. Sources tell CBS News that Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar has been asked to consent to the scrutiny into her financials, public record, and personal life, though it's not clear if Klobuchar has given her OK. The Hill notes that putting Klobuchar, a moderate like Biden, on the ticket could sway centrist and independent voters, as well as Midwesterners, though progressive voters may be miffed. Per NBC News, Florida Rep. Val Demings and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have indicated they're also on Biden's radar for the job. "It was just an opening conversation," Whitmer told Today Tuesday.

At least one potential has apparently backed away: A source tells CBS that New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is out. However, the state's junior senator, Maggie Hassan, has reportedly given the OK for her own vetting. Rumors on vetting have also started circulating for New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, though camps for both women have so far issued denials. Others believed to be under consideration: Sens. Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, as well as ex-Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Biden, who has said vetting should be finished by July, has placed four people in charge of the process: ex-Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, and Cynthia Hogan, who has previously served as Biden's counsel. (More Joe Biden 2020 stories.)