During an interview with NPR aired on Monday’s “Morning Edition,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) discussed The Wall Street Journal’s reporting on “How the White House Functioned With a Diminished Biden in Charge” and said Democrats have a problem with making “judgments about people.” And “Democrats, much more so than Republicans, have a tendency to not want to make those kind of judgments” about someone’s ability to do their job and force competition by doing so.

Smith stated, “[T]he Democratic Party sometimes struggles to make judgments about people. It’s not disrespectful for someone in a high position — me, for that matter, okay? I’m the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. If it gets to the point where people question whether or not I’m up to the job, they should take me on.”

He continued, “I think Democrats, much more so than Republicans, have a tendency to not want to make those kind of judgments and force that kind of competition. And I think it does hurt us.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett