White House Press Secretary Jay Carney wouldn’t confirm or deny reports that his predecessor swore at First Lady Michelle Obama, but he maintained that the Obama White House enjoys a “collegial” atmosphere, even reminding the press corps that he used to be a journalist who covered more contentious administrations.

“I’m not going to get into individual anecdotes from [a book],” Carney said when asked if former Press Secretary Robert Gibbs did, in fact, swear at the president’s wife. “l simply say that isolating one incident where there were sharp words, whether it’s accurate or not, doesn’t reflect the overall atmosphere and tenor here.” He also said that sometimes staff “intensity leads people to raise their voices or have sharp exchanges,” but that doesn’t compromise the “harmonious” atmosphere of the White House.