WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As the recession continues to play a monumental role in the mid-term election battle, CNN has learned that President Obama quietly met with billionaire Warren Buffett for an hour-long meeting at the White House on Wednesday, according to senior officials familiar with the chat.
The 11:15 a.m. ET meeting was not listed on Obama's public schedule, the officials said, but the White House released a photograph of the encounter after it had ended.
In addition to the economic crisis, the two men discussed energy reform and other issues, according to the officials.
Buffett formally endorsed Obama in the 2008 presidential campaign, giving him critical credibility in the heated battle with Republican presidential candidate John McCain over which man would better handle the financial crisis.
But the so-called "Sage of Capitalism" has sometimes been critical of Obama's handling of the economy as president. In March 2009, Buffett suggested that the new commander-in-chief had too much on his plate.
"And I think we've had, and it's the nature of the political process somewhat, but we've had muddled messages and the American public does not know," Buffett said on CNBC. "They feel they don't know what's going on, and their reaction then is to absolutely pull back."
At the time, White House aides said Buffett was focusing his criticism more on the process in Washington than on Obama himself. 
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