Obama Spokesman Says President Disagrees with Supreme Court Obamacare Decision

On CNN this morning, President Obama's campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said that the president disagrees with the Supreme Court's decision on Obamacare:

LaBolt says the president believes Obamacare is a penalty, not a tax, as the Supreme Court called the health care law.

CNN’S SOLEDAD O’BRIEN:  “Does he believe this is a tax, or does he believe it’s a penalty? He actually hasn't said yet, as I'm sure you know. He has not specifically said. His spokesperson sitting here with me said it's a penalty. The Supreme Court has said it's a tax. What does he believe?”

OBAMA FOR AMERICA PRESS SECRETARY BEN LABOLT:  “That it's a penalty. You saw our arguments before the Supreme Court. You’ve seen what the president has said over the past several years that it's a penalty for that 1% of the population who can afford health insurance but hasn't chosen to get it. Because the fact is that has led the rest of us to pay a hidden tax of $1,000 a year. Folks who already covered, it drives up our premiums.” 

O’BRIEN:  “So then he disagrees with the Supreme Court decision that says it's now a tax.”

LABOLT:  “That's right. He's said that it’s a penalty. You saw our arguments before the Court. And—”

O’BRIEN:  “Your argument before the Court honestly also said that it could be-- one of the side arguments, kinda like the backup argument was that it was a tax. So I did see the arguments before the Supreme Court and read the transcripts.”

LABOLT:  “It never referred to it as a--it never referred to it as a tax. It said that it was a penalty. And that's under the section of the law that is the tax code, but it said very specifically that it's a penalty.”