Obama: Washington Distracted by 'Phony Scandals

President Barack Obama on Wednesday dismissed the scandals that have engulfed his administration as "phony."

President Barack Obama speaks about the economy, Wednesday, July 24, 2013, at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill. (AP)

"With an endless parade of distractions and political posturing and phony scandals, Washington's taken its eye off the ball," Obama said in a campaign-style speech on the state of the economy. "And I'm here to say this needs to stop. This needs to stop. Short-term thinking and stale debates are not what this moment requires. Our focus has to be on the basic economic issues that the matter most to you – the people we represent."

Obama didn't mention any controversies by name, but the Internal Revenue Service's close examination of conservative groups, revelations about the National Security Agency and the Sept. 2012 terror assault in Benghazi, Libya have all brought unwanted scrutiny on the White House.

White House press secretary Jay Carney also used the term "phony scandals" earlier Wednesday in an appearance on MSNBC.

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