The Hill News

The president has gotten a "bum wrap" on his relationship with the business community, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday.

Speaking with Don Imus on Fox Business News this morning, the outspoken Rep. Weiner (D-N.Y.) said President Obama's recent appointment of GM CEO Jeffrey Immelt to head the President's Council on Jobs and Economic competitiveness was not a sign that the president had suddenly started to become friendly with the business community.

“I think there has been a beef by some that the President hasn’t  been sensitive enough to things going on in the business community," Weiner said "I think that’s kind of a bum wrap; if you look [at] the first two years of the administration the business community particularly on Wall Street have done pretty well. I think it is important the President hear voices from all different spectrums of thought and I think someone like Immelt who has experience with business can be nothing but goo! d and it shows the President is learning some lessons. I see no harm in it.”

With the appointments of former JPMorgan Chase executive William Daley as President Obama's chief of staff and Immelt to run the President's new panel on job creation, some have said President Obama is finally responding to criticism that he had not included in his administration enough senior staff with business management experience.

At his annual State of the Union tonight President Obama has said the focus of his speech will be on improving the country's economic competitiveness and creating more jobs.