Liberal anchor Jake Tapper says cover-up of Biden's cognitive decline may be ‘worse than Watergate' after bombshell book
CNN host
Jake
Tapper co-wrote Original Sin, an
3
The CNN anchor said the cover-up of Biden's health 'maybe even worse than Watergate in some ways'
3
Former United States President Joe Biden speaks at the Advocates, Counselors, and Representatives for the Disabled (ACRD) conference on April 15, 2025
Credit: Splash
3
The stunning claim came on an interview with Piers Morgan
Biden's physical and mental decline were a constant source of speculation throughout his time as president, which culminated in him dropping out of the 2024 election after a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.
But Tapper made a jaw-dropping remark when challenged on his book's conclusion in an interview with Piers Morgan on Monday.
Quoting from the book, Morgan said: "Joe Biden is not Richard Nixon, and the hiding and cover-up of his deterioration is not Watergate."
He added: "I am not entirely sure I agree, Jake, with that conclusion."
But in a stunning moment, the CNN anchor said the cover-up of Biden's health "maybe even worse than Watergate in some ways".
"Because Richard Nixon was in control of his faculties when he was not drinking," he clarified.
He said that while he sees the Biden cover-up as an "entirely separate scandal" from Watergate, he still considers it a "a scandal" nonetheless.
Tapper added the book was not "mean to exonerate" Biden in its conclusion that this scandal was "not Watergate".
Most read in The US Sun
"The only reason that we have the Watergate thing in there is because we quote Archibald Cox, who was a Watergate investigator, talking about how powerful the presidency is and how presidents get surrounded by people who have a vested interest in keeping that president propped up," he told Morgan.
"This is an entirely separate scandal," Tapper repeated. "Maybe even worse … maybe even worse."
Joe Biden diagnosed with 'aggressive' form of prostate cancer
It comes following the announcement the
A spokesperson for the former president said: "While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management."
Biden's ailing health was the subject of intense speculation for much of his time in the White House, with many observers questioning if he was fit to serve a second term in office.
While the octogenarian initially announced he would seek re-election, he dropped out of the
race
after a calamitous debate performance in June 2024.
He was replaced as presumptive Democratic nominee by his Vice President
Timeline of Biden's failed re-election bid
President Joe Biden endured weeks of calls to step aside before he announced on July 21 that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. Here are key developments leading up to his decision.
June 27:
Biden's disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump sparks calls for him to step aside. His voice was raspy and he trailed off several times after having already endured questions about his age and mental capacity following a series of blunders at public events.
July 2:
Polls after the debate indicate that Trump is pulling ahead. Texas Representative Lloyd Doggett was the first Democratic congressman to publicly urge Biden to drop his bid for re-election, and big Democratic donors issued the same call a day later.
July 5:
Biden does a live TV interview with George Stephanopoulos where he tries to quell fears about his age and debate performance. He called the debate "bad night" and said he was under the weather and "exhausted."
July 10:
Vermont Senator Peter Welch becomes the first senator to call for Biden to drop out.
July 11:
Biden refers to Ukrainian President Zelensky as President Putin at a NATO event.
July 13:
Trump is shot at a campaign rally by a wannabe assassin. His popularity and favorability rating soared after he was seen bloodied on stage but walked off with a fist in the air, telling the crowd to "fight!"
July 17:
California Representative Adam Schiff and a series of other Democrats call for Biden to step aside. Even former President Barack Obama tells allies that Biden's path to victory has "greatly diminished." Biden tests positive for Covid-19 hours after saying he would consider ending his bid if he were diagnosed with "some medical issue."
July 19:
Biden insists he will continue campaigning in his first statement since Obama's U-turn, despite reports that he would decide to drop out by the weekend.
July 21:
Just before 2 pm, Biden announces he is stepping aside in the 2024 election and endorses Vice President Kamala Harris.
But the debate was far from the only sign of Biden's deterioration.
Biden once
"It was like watching someone who was not alive," a Hollywood source said in the book.
"It was startling. And we all looked at each other. It was so awful."
Another leaked audio clip appears to show
Speaking to Morgan, Tapper addressed criticisms that many in the US media had failed to sufficiently cover reports of Biden's ailing health.
"I feel like I owe the American people an acknowledgement that I wish I had covered the story better," he said.
Tapper told CNN earlier this month: "I think some of the criticism is fair, to be honest.
Read more on the Irish Sun
"Of me, certainly. I'm not going to speak for anybody else, but knowing then what I know now, I look back at my coverage during the Biden years — and I did cover some of these issues, but not enough.
"I look back on it with humility."
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Irish Independent
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Meanwhile, attorney general Pam Bondi, in a new memo, directed the district's police to co-operate with federal immigration enforcement regardless of any city law. The order came after officials in the nation's capital sued on Friday to block President Donald Trump's takeover of the capital's police. The night before, his administration had escalated its intervention into the city's law enforcement by naming a federal official as the new emergency head of the department, essentially placing the police force under full control of the federal government. The attorney general's new order represents a partial retreat for the Trump administration in the face of intense scepticism from a judge over the legality of Ms Bondi's earlier directive, but she also signalled the administration would continue to pressure DC leaders to help federal authorities aggressively pursue immigrants in the country illegally, despite city laws that limit co-operation between police and immigration authorities. In a social media post on Friday evening, Ms Bondi criticised DC attorney general Brian Schwalb, saying he "continues to oppose our efforts to improve public safety", but she added: "We remain committed to working closely with Mayor Bowser." Mayor Muriel Bowser's office said late on Friday that it was still evaluating how it can comply with the new Bondi order on immigration enforcement operations. The police department had already eased some restrictions on co-operating with federal officials facilitating Mr Trump's mass deportation campaign but reaffirmed that it would follow the district's sanctuary city laws. In a letter sent on Friday night to DC citizens, Ms Bowser wrote: "It has been an unsettling and unprecedented week in our city. Over the course of a week, the surge in federal law enforcement across DC has created waves of anxiety." She added that "our limited self-government has never faced the type of test we are facing right now", but added that if Washingtonians stick together, "we will show the entire nation what it looks like to fight for American democracy - even when we don't have full access to it". The legal battle was the latest evidence of the escalating tensions in a mostly Democratic city that now has its police department largely under the control of the Republican president's administration. Mr Trump's takeover is historic, yet it had played out with a slow ramp-up in federal law enforcement officials and National Guard troops to start the week. As the weekend approached, signs across the city - from the streets to the legal system - suggested a deepening crisis over who controls the city's immigration and policing policies, the district's right to govern itself and daily life for the millions of people who live and work in the metro area. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more The two sides sparred in court for hours Friday before US District Judge Ana Reyes, who is overseeing the district's lawsuit. She indicated the law is not likely to grant the Trump administration power to fully take over city police, but it probably gives the president more power than the city might like. "The way I read the statute, the president can ask, the mayor must provide, but the president can't control," said Judge Reyes, who was nominated to the bench by Joe Biden. The judge pushed the two sides to make a compromise. A lawyer for the Trump administration, Yaakov Roth, said the move to sideline Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith came after an immigration order that still held back some aid to federal authorities. He argued that the president has broad authority to determine what kind of help police in Washington must provide. The police takeover is the latest move by Trump to test the limits of his legal authorities to carry out his agenda, relying on obscure statutes and a supposed state of emergency to bolster his tough-on-crime message and his plans to speed up the mass deportation of people in the United States illegally. It also marks one of the most sweeping assertions of federal authority over a local government in modern times. While Washington has grappled with spikes in violence and visible homelessness, the city's homicide rate ranks below those of several other major US cities, and the capital is not in the throes of the public safety collapse the Trump administration has portrayed. The president has more power over the nation's capital than other cities, but DC has elected its own mayor and city council since the Home Rule Act was signed in 1973. Mr Trump is the first president to exert control over the city's police force since it was passed. The law limits that control to 30 days without congressional approval, though Mr Trump has suggested he would seek to extend it. Ms Bondi's Thursday night directive to place the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Terry Cole, in charge of the police department came after Ms Smith had told officers to share information with immigration agencies regarding people not in custody, such as someone involved in a traffic stop. The Justice Department said Ms Bondi disagreed with the police chief's instructions because they allowed for continued practice of "sanctuary policies", which generally limit co-operation by local law enforcement with federal immigration officers.
Irish Examiner
12 hours ago
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U-turn as Trump administration agrees to keep Washington police chief in place
The Trump administration has reversed course and agreed to leave the Washington DC police chief in control of the department. Meanwhile, attorney general Pam Bondi, in a new memo, directed the district's police to co-operate with federal immigration enforcement regardless of any city law. The order came after officials in the nation's capital sued on Friday to block President Donald Trump's takeover of the capital's police. Donald Trump (Jae C Hong/AP) The night before, his administration had escalated its intervention into the city's law enforcement by naming a federal official as the new emergency head of the department, essentially placing the police force under full control of the federal government. The attorney general's new order represents a partial retreat for the Trump administration in the face of intense scepticism from a judge over the legality of Ms Bondi's earlier directive, but she also signalled the administration would continue to pressure DC leaders to help federal authorities aggressively pursue immigrants in the country illegally, despite city laws that limit co-operation between police and immigration authorities. In a social media post on Friday evening, Ms Bondi criticised DC attorney general Brian Schwalb, saying he 'continues to oppose our efforts to improve public safety', but she added: 'We remain committed to working closely with Mayor Bowser.' Mayor Muriel Bowser's office said late on Friday that it was still evaluating how it can comply with the new Bondi order on immigration enforcement operations. The police department had already eased some restrictions on co-operating with federal officials facilitating Mr Trump's mass deportation campaign but reaffirmed that it would follow the district's sanctuary city laws. In a letter sent on Friday night to DC citizens, Ms Bowser wrote: 'It has been an unsettling and unprecedented week in our city. Over the course of a week, the surge in federal law enforcement across DC has created waves of anxiety.' Attorney general Pam Bondi (Mark Schiefelbein/AP) She added that 'our limited self-government has never faced the type of test we are facing right now', but added that if Washingtonians stick together, 'we will show the entire nation what it looks like to fight for American democracy – even when we don't have full access to it'. The legal battle was the latest evidence of the escalating tensions in a mostly Democratic city that now has its police department largely under the control of the Republican president's administration. Mr Trump's takeover is historic, yet it had played out with a slow ramp-up in federal law enforcement officials and National Guard troops to start the week. As the weekend approached, signs across the city — from the streets to the legal system — suggested a deepening crisis over who controls the city's immigration and policing policies, the district's right to govern itself and daily life for the millions of people who live and work in the metro area. The two sides sparred in court for hours Friday before US District Judge Ana Reyes, who is overseeing the district's lawsuit. She indicated the law is not likely to grant the Trump administration power to fully take over city police, but it probably gives the president more power than the city might like. 'The way I read the statute, the president can ask, the mayor must provide, but the president can't control,' said Judge Reyes, who was nominated to the bench by Joe Biden. The judge pushed the two sides to make a compromise. A lawyer for the Trump administration, Yaakov Roth, said the move to sideline Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith came after an immigration order that still held back some aid to federal authorities. He argued that the president has broad authority to determine what kind of help police in Washington must provide. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP) The police takeover is the latest move by Trump to test the limits of his legal authorities to carry out his agenda, relying on obscure statutes and a supposed state of emergency to bolster his tough-on-crime message and his plans to speed up the mass deportation of people in the United States illegally. It also marks one of the most sweeping assertions of federal authority over a local government in modern times. While Washington has grappled with spikes in violence and visible homelessness, the city's homicide rate ranks below those of several other major US cities, and the capital is not in the throes of the public safety collapse the Trump administration has portrayed. The president has more power over the nation's capital than other cities, but DC has elected its own mayor and city council since the Home Rule Act was signed in 1973. Mr Trump is the first president to exert control over the city's police force since it was passed. The law limits that control to 30 days without congressional approval, though Mr Trump has suggested he would seek to extend it. Ms Bondi's Thursday night directive to place the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Terry Cole, in charge of the police department came after Ms Smith had told officers to share information with immigration agencies regarding people not in custody, such as someone involved in a traffic stop. The Justice Department said Ms Bondi disagreed with the police chief's instructions because they allowed for continued practice of 'sanctuary policies', which generally limit co-operation by local law enforcement with federal immigration officers.
