6 Of Jay Carney's Greatest Moments

Remember that time when resigning White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, who announced he's leaving the administration on Friday, grew a beard over the holidays? Carney's scruffy facial hair even got its own Twitter account before he shaved it off. It was one of many magical moments the press secretary graced us with during his three-year tenure in the job.

Carney spent a long time as a member of the press himself, even serving as Washington bureau chief for TIME Magazine back in the day. So he was usually a pretty impressive foil to the wily Washington press corps. He's also a good buddy of President Obama's, who announced the departure of a guy he called "one of my closest friends."

He's got good judgment. He has good temperament and he's got a good heart, and I will miss him a lot.

Carney's tenure was full of some of the Obama presidency's most intense moments, from the failed Healthcare.gov rollout to the killing of Osama bin Laden. So to commemorate Carney's departure from behind the lectern at the White House Briefing Room, we decided to compile some of his greatest moments, from the most contentious to the most hilarious. Let's run it down:

1. On Healthcare.gov

Carney got pretty heated with ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl in November over the shaky rollout of Healthcare.gov.

You can have this soliloquy by yourself. ... I'm not sure what you think you've discovered here, Jon. ... I give up. I think everybody else here understands what I'm saying. I'm sorry I can't say the same for you.

2. On the shutdown

Jonathan Karl: You're threatening default. How is that tenable?

Carney, with a chuckle: Jon. Who has the power to raise the debt ceiling? Who has the power to raise the debt ceiling? Who has the power to raise the debt ceiling? I'm turning the tables here. I can't get a direct answer. Congress has the power to raise the debt ceiling.

3. On Donald Trump

Classic short-and-simple Carney on this one.

He is preposterous.

4. On the admin's economic policies

Carney got into it with Fox News Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry over some of the Obama administration's economic policies. Then he threw down the gauntlet.

You and I, we’re going to do this on Crossfire one day, I promise. And let’s be clear that I’ll be on one side and you’ll be on the other.

5. On how much he appreciates your questions

In Carney's earlier days, before things really started heating up, the secretary went so far as to "appreciate" a reporter's question no less than 181 times, by a Politico count. Whatever happened to the polite Jay Carney? Well, let's just say he got more fiesty with time.

6. This hug with Obama

So this happened on Friday. Awwww. Carney out.