Joseph Biden's wife Jill has appeared to let slip a piece of choice political gossip, suggesting her husband was given a choice by Barack Obama to be vice president or secretary of state.
Biden will be sworn into office on Tuesday as Obama's second-in-command, and appeared to try to hush his wife as she made the comment on Oprah Winfrey's talk show.
His office later put out a statement denying he had a choice of job, while Obama's transition office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"Joe had a choice to be secretary of state or vice president," Jill Biden said, prompting her husband to whisper "shhh" before her words were drowned out by cheers and applause.
She went on to explain that she had worried about the impact of her husband being secretary of state on their family life.
"I said, Joe, if you're secretary of state, you'll be away. (I'll) see you at a state dinner once in a while.
"I said if you're vice president, the entire family, because they worked so hard for the election, can be involved."
The vice president-elect, trying to smooth over the awkward moment, then said he told Obama he would serve as vice president only if he was being selected for his judgment.
Biden didn't address his wife's comments, but said he only accepted Obama's offer to be his running mate after talking it over with "Jilly," his pet name for his wife.
He said he didn't immediately take the vice presidential offer since he wasn't sure it was the best place for him to serve.
Biden, who ran against Obama in the Democratic primary race, said he agreed after getting some assurances from Obama about his role.
"This is a partnership," Biden said.
"He's president of the United States, but as I said to him when he asked me, I said, 'Barack, don't ask me unless the reason you're asking me is, you're asking me for my judgment. I get to be the last guy in the room before you make every important decision. You're president. Any decision you make, I will back'."
Biden, for 36 years a senator for Delaware and later chairman of the senate foreign relations committee, was often spoken of as a possible secretary of state, but Obama chose him as his running mate in August.
Hillary Clinton, Obama's former Democratic primary foe, was named to serve as the chief US diplomat after his historic election triumph.
Biden spokeswoman Elizabeth Alexander put out a statement trying to play down Jill Biden's comments.
"To be clear, president-elect Obama offered vice president-elect Biden one job only - to be his running mate and the vice president-elect was thrilled to accept the offer," she said.
"Like anyone who followed the presidential campaign this summer, Dr Jill Biden knew there was a chance that president-elect Obama might ask her husband to serve in some capacity and that, given his background, the positions of vice president and secretary of state were possibilities," Alexander said.
"Dr Biden's point to Oprah today was that being vice president would be a better fit for their family because they would get to see him more and get to participate in serving more."
The Bidens made a surprise appearance on Winfrey's show, recorded at Washington DC's Kennedy Centre for broadcast later on Monday on the eve of the inauguration.
The celebrity-filled show also included the premiere of America's Song, performed by Faith Hill, Seal, Bono, Mary J Blige, Will.i.am and David Foster in honour of the occasion.
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