Biden Bags His Own West Winger

ABC News’ Brian Wheeler reports: The Democratic frontrunners may be squabbling over who among them has the support of more advisers from the Bill Clinton White House.  But in the second tier, it’s an entirely different fight, one involving the fictional inhabitants of an imaginary White House.

Gov. Bill Richardson, D-NM, has the endorsement of President Jeb Bartlett from the Emmy-winning show "The West Wing," better known to the world as actor and activist Martin Sheen. Sen. Joe Biden. D-Del., meanwhile has landed the endorsement of the fictional White House communications director to Sheen’s president, actor Richard Schiff. And  so the battle of the West Wingers is joined.

Schiff will stump for Biden at events over the next three days. Tonight at an event in Waterloo, Iowa,  Schiff told ABC News that Joe Biden has "always impressed me as a truth-teller, someone with knowledge and experience. I want somebody who has the ability to tell me the truth, not because it’s his obligation, but because he knows no other way. And that’s Joe Biden."

Fans of Biden or The West Wing or both may be nonplussed to learn Schiff’s character Toby Ziegler was indicted on the show for leaking classified NASA documents — a plot line that mirrored the Scooter Libby indictment. President Bartlett in his munificence would later pardon Ziegler.