Latest news with #CoverUp
Associated Press
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
‘Deceit, Corruption, Cover-Up,' A True Story Written by Michael Leonetti, the Innocent Victim
LAS VEGAS, Nev., July 10, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Michael Leonetti, a well-known entertainer and master chef was wrongfully arrested, convicted and jailed for a crime he did not commit. It took him 12 years in jail to prove his innocence. His book details and exposes all court documents confirming it was a huge cover-up by the courts, lawyers, detectives and a prison warden. Based on a true story, Michael Leonetti's 'Deceit, Corruption, Cover Up' (ISBN: 978-0578619514) is the extraordinary read that clearly outlines his wrongful arrest and conviction and his continuous court appeals for over 12 years in attempt to prove his innocence. He not only proved his innocence but revealed the deep corruption within the judicial system that included detectives, judges, lawyers including the former O.J. Simpson Las Vegas judge and even a prison warden. Michael, of Italian descent, was born in South Philadelphia. His grandfather encouraged him to become a musician and his grandmother taught him how to cook. After moving to Las Vegas to pursue his entertainment career he quickly became known as a drummer and singer opening many entertainment doors at a variety of strip hotels. As a businessman, Michael launched Las Vegas Image Magazine that featured monthly a huge variety of celebrities such as Jerry Lewis and Robert Goulet. He also showcased his talents as renowned master chef and owner of 'My Mother's House.' In the early 2000's Michael's life passed before him as he was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in jail for a crime he did not commit. Michael was framed and the legal documents displayed in his book support his innocence. The named detective that arrested Michael arrested him without cause which ultimately pushed Michael to file a $250,000 lawsuit against the Metro Police Force for false imprisonment. Shortly after his arrest Michael's wife of 25 years filed for divorce due to her parents continuously pushing as they disliked her husband. Being very spiritual, Michael believed God always had a plan for him while all seemed lost and senseless. With God's direction Michael began during his sentence writing, producing and directing 60 biblical plays with thousands of the most hardened criminals, something that has never been accomplished in the history of a prison system. The Court of Appeals after 12 years reversed and remanded that Michael Leonetti's case on actual innocence and ordered the Nevada Federal Court Attorney to put in an addendum petition on actual innocence in April of 2013. All the documents withheld indicated clearly he did not commit the crime. Michael speaks from his heart and his riveting book clearly sets the record straight on his 12 years of incarceration for an offense he did not commit. Audio trailer for book (on SoundCloud): Learn more about the author: MEDIA CONTACT: Candi Cazau Candi Cazau PR Services [email protected] 702-521-7290 NEWS SOURCE: Author Michael Leonetti Keywords: Books and Publishing, author Michael Leonetti, humorist, ISBN 9780578619514, new books, true crime, Leonetti Marketing, memoir, wrongful arrest and conviction, LAS VEGAS, Nev. This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Author Michael Leonetti) who is solely responsibile for its accuracy, by Send2Press® Newswire. Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed. Story ID: S2P127619 APNF0325A To view the original version, visit: © 2025 Send2Press® Newswire, a press release distribution service, Calif., USA. RIGHTS GRANTED FOR REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY ANY LEGITIMATE MEDIA OUTLET - SUCH AS NEWSPAPER, BROADCAST OR TRADE PERIODICAL. MAY NOT BE USED ON ANY NON-MEDIA WEBSITE PROMOTING PR OR MARKETING SERVICES OR CONTENT DEVELOPMENT. Disclaimer: This press release content was not created by nor issued by the Associated Press (AP). Content below is unrelated to this news story.
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
CNN star Jake Tapper is blasted as a 'fraud' and a 'phony' over self-righteous Biden health cover up rants
CNN star Jake Tapper has been branded a 'fraud' and 'phony' over his self-righteous rants about former President Joe Biden 's health cover-up. Tapper's new book, 'Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,' co-authored with Alex Thompson, sparked mass frustration and speculation as many believe the journalist was complicit in Biden's cover-up. The book itself claims to blow that lid off an alleged White House campaign to hide Biden's cognitive decline from the American people. Early reviews of the book, which was released last Tuesday, were quickly overshadowed by allegations that Tapper himself was part of the cover up and is now seemingly trying to rewrite history. 'He's such a fraud,' one user on X wrote after another posted several clips of him speaking about the Steele dossier - a research report on Trump's 2016 presidential campaign that alleged he worked with the Russian government. In the video, Tapper was heard appearing to mock Trump's previous mentions of being a part of a 'witch hunt,' as he said: 'They've caught a few witches by the way, there have been a few witch indictments.' In the clips from 2018, Tapper also ranted about how terrible it was that there were people who tried to 'stop an investigation into what happened' - calling it 'unpatriotic' - despite the fact he seemingly did the same when right-leaning media tried to probe Biden's ailing health during his term. The compilation, along with the release of his new book, enraged many people who strongly believe he is a 'liar' who is 'trying to get out of being held accountable.' 'He was and still is down for the cause. We are not fooled or amused,' wrote another. 'No retractions, no apologies, and no consequences for those who pushed a false narrative for years,' a user stated. Someone else commented: 'Bullsh**, he's lying. He knew all along that it was bullsh** and still carried the democrat party's water.' 'I think Jake is going to need to write a lot of books,' one suggested. 'His book is sinking faster than the Titanic,' another joked. The continued backlash over his book comes just after Tapper admitted the coverup of Biden's decline during his time in office may have been 'worse than Watergate.' During an interview with Piers Morgan about his campaign tell-all Original Sin, Tapper compared Biden's White House deception to President Richard Nixon and one of the greatest scandals in political history. 'This is an entirely separate scandal. Maybe even worse … maybe even worse,' Tapper ultimately admitted. 'It is without question – and maybe even worse than Watergate in some ways because Richard Nixon was in control of his faculties when he was not drinking.' Morgan then challenged Tapper by asking him to justify his written conclusion that the 'hiding and cover-up of his deterioration is not Watergate.' That's when the CNN anchor actually admitted that he got it wrong. In fact, he told Morgan it 'may be worse' than the 1972 scandal, in which the Nixon administration attempted to cover up a burglary at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Nixon was forced to resign and 'Watergate' is now synonymous with political corruption, becoming somewhat of a benchmark through which subsequent administrations are judged. Tapper went on to try to clarify the quote Morgan referenced in the book, which concluded: 'Joe Biden is not Richard Nixon, and the hiding and cover-up of his deterioration is not Watergate.' Morgan argued: 'I am not entirely sure I agree, Jake, with that conclusion.' But Tapper said the only reason they included the caveat in the book was because they had spoken with a Watergate investigator who discussed 'how powerful the presidency is and how presidents get surrounded by people who have a vested interest in keeping that president propped up.' Through the enormous backlash he's received for his reporting in the book, Tapper maintains he trusted Biden and his aides and took them at their word when they assured him that all was well. The recent revelation that Biden has been diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer also sparked rampant conspiracy theories about whether medical professionals were aware of his illness while he was president. The recent revelation that Biden has been diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer also sparked rampant conspiracy theories about whether medical professionals were aware of his illness while he was president Biden's team has maintained he was not tested for prostate cancer while he was president, and that the diagnosis is recent. That reassurance has not stopped MAGA loyalists from demanding his long-term physician Kevin O'Connor be subpoenaed to answer questions about Biden's health. O'Connor repeatedly assured the American public during Biden's term that he was healthy and could have served another four years. Simultaneously, several of Biden's closest aides are facing pressure to reveal how much control they had over his autopen after Trump raised questions about who was really in charge during the Biden administration.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jake Tapper Says Cover-Up of Biden's Mental Decline ‘May Be Even Worse Than Watergate'
CNN anchor Jake Tapper said the cover-up of former President Joe Biden's cognitive decline while he was in the White House was 'maybe even worse than Watergate' in an interview with Piers Morgan on Monday. Tapper said the reason the hiding of Biden's health issues was a bigger deal than the scandal that brought down Richard Nixon's presidency was because Nixon 'was in control of his faculties when he was not drinking.' Biden, Tapper has said several times on his recent media tour, was showing routine signs of a man who was suffering from a cognitive decline, including forgetting the names of aides and celebrity supporters like George Clooney. A moment earlier, Morgan said he believed the secrecy around the ex-president's health was a bigger offense than Watergate. Tapper was on Morgan's 'Uncensored' YouTube show to promote his new book, 'Original Sin,' which looked at the cover up of Biden's health while in office; he was joined by his co-author Alex Thompson. The veteran CNN anchor said several people played a key role in keeping Biden's health a secret, including his wife Jill, who was 'enamored' with the lifestyle of being the First Lady, he said. Tapper also said Biden's son Hunter was in favor of keeping it a secret to help safeguard him against a federal investigation into his taxes and illegally buying a gun. 'The best way that they could protect [Hunter Biden] was to keep the presidency so that they could protect him,' Tapper said. The two authors have been on an extensive media tour to promote 'Original Sin' in the past few weeks. Last week on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe,' Tapper said there were 'two Joe Bidens' and that the 'non-functioning' version was seen more and more as his presidency went on — culminating in his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump in June 2024. Less than a month later, Biden ended his campaign. Tapper, during an interview on his own channel, said there was was 'not enough' coverage of Biden's health issues, including from himself. And last Tuesday, while appearing on Megyn Kelly's show, Tapper said he called Lara Trump to apologize to her, after he ripped her in 2020 for claiming Biden was showing signs of cognitive decline. 'She saw something that I did not see at the time,' Tapper said. '100 percent. And I own that.' He made a similar comment to Morgan on Monday, saying a lot of voters could see 'what was in front of their nose, [and] our nose' with regards to Biden's health decline, 'so kudos to everybody who was right on target.' To hear more of what Morgan thinks of Biden, Trump, CNN, and the royal family, check TheWrap tomorrow to read a full interview. The post Jake Tapper Says Cover-Up of Biden's Mental Decline 'May Be Even Worse Than Watergate' appeared first on TheWrap.
Fox News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Jake Tapper's past coverage of Biden's cognitive decline under scrutiny ahead of his new book
Print Close By Joseph Wulfsohn Published May 14, 2025 The cognitive decline of former President Joe Biden has been described as one of the biggest cover-ups in American history. Now, one journalist who claims to be getting to the bottom of the scandal in a new book is facing criticism for his participation in it. CNN anchor Jake Tapper has co-authored a new book, "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," set to be released next week. "As viewers of 'The Lead' know, I've been covering the concerns about President Biden's age and health for years," Tapper told CNN viewers when announcing the book in February. "I literally asked him about it in October 2022, and we've challenged Democrats and White House officials about it." Conservative critics have taken aim at Tapper since the announcement, alleging he was part of the cover-up and "trying to re-write history" with his book. SHIELDING BIDEN: JOURNALISTS SHED LIGHT ON THE MEDIA'S COVER-UP OF A WEAKENED PRESIDENT The book's co-author is Alex Thompson, an Axios correspondent who made a name for himself as one of the few members of the legacy media whose reporting scratched the surface of Biden's mental acuity long before the now-infamous CNN presidential debate (which Tapper co-moderated) that led to the president's ouster from the 2024 race. Concerns over Biden's age and stamina go as far back as 2019 as he ran in the Democratic primary. The subject wasn't just raised by conservatives at the time, it was used as a cudgel by Democratic rivals Julián Castro and Cory Booker, who both cast doubt on the former VP's sharpness. Once Biden clinched the nomination in 2020 during the COVID pandemic, he ran what many dubbed the "basement campaign," a name meant to signify Biden's limited public appearances on the campaign trail. Biden frequently went viral for incoherent word jumbles during various events. His campaign repeatedly claimed that his various verbal stumbles stemmed from Biden's lifelong battle of overcoming a stutter. In October 2020, Tapper touted the Biden talking point, even showing a clip from the DNC convention of a 13-year-old Biden supporter with a severe stutter who turned to the Democratic nominee for inspiration, during a tense exchange with then-Trump 2020 campaign advisor Lara Trump (now a Fox News host), who drew attention to Biden's cognitive decline at a campaign event. EX-CNN JOURNALIST SPEAKS OUT ON BIDEN COVER-UP, SAYS WHITE HOUSE AIDES MADE IT DIFFICULT ON PRESS "How do you think it makes little kids with stutters feel when they see you make a comment like that?" Tapper asked indignantly after showing a clip of Lara Trump commenting on Biden struggling for words. "First and foremost, I had no idea that Joe Biden ever suffered from a stutter," Lara Trump responded. "I think what we see on stage with Joe Biden, Jake, is very clearly a cognitive decline-" "Ok," Tapper quickly interrupted while talking over her. "It's so amazing to me- a 'cognitive decline.' I think you were mocking his stutter. Yeah. I think you were mocking his stutter and I think you have absolutely no standing to diagnose somebody's cognitive decline. I would think somebody in the Trump family would be more sensitive to people who do not have medical licenses diagnosing politicians from afar." After Lara Trump insisted Biden's cognitive decline was "very concerning," Tapper cut the interview short. "Thank you, Lara. I'm sure it's from a place of concern. We all believe that," Tapper sarcastically told her before ending the interview. Tapper did press Biden in a September 2020 interview about whether he would pledge to be transparent about his health if elected, to which Biden firmly responded yes. Fox News Digital reviewed Grabien transcript search results of Tapper's coverage of Biden's decline throughout his presidency. His most aggressive coverage took place in February 2024 in the wake of Biden's press conference responding in outrage to the Hur report. Special Counsel Robert Hur declined to bring charges against Biden in the classified documents case because he determined a jury would not convict someone perceived as an "elderly man with a poor memory," based on his interview with investigators. In a tense exchange with former Biden communications director Kate Bedingfield, Tapper hammered Biden for mixing up the presidents of Mexico and Egypt in the press conference as well as confusing French President Emmanuel Macron with the late French President Francois Mitterrand, who had been dead for nearly 30 years, earlier in the week. "It's about faculty and memory and whether or not somebody [voters] perceive is competent," Tapper said as Bedingfield shrugged off the leader mix-ups. Tapper also challenged then-Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., over his party's outrage towards Hur, asking him what the special counsel said about Biden that wasn't accurate. Shortly after the release of the Hur report, Tapper drew attention to the decision by the Biden White House to skip the traditional pre-Super Bowl interview two years in a row. "Isn't the White House signaling with that decision, like, 'We're afraid of putting him out there?'" Tapper asked during a panel discussion. CBS REPORTER SAYS MOST 'UNDERREPORTED' STORY IN 2024 WAS BIDEN'S 'OBVIOUS COGNITIVE DECLINE' As he alluded to in his book announcement, Tapper did broach the subject of Biden's age in an October 2022 interview with the president, albeit ever so gently. "You're about to turn 80 next month. Happy birthday ahead of time," Tapper told Biden. "Whenever anyone raises concerns about your age- you're the oldest president in the history of the United States- you always say, 'Watch me.' Voters have been watching you. Democratic voters approve of the job you're doing. Democratic voters overwhelmingly like you, but one poll shows that almost two-thirds of Democratic voters want a new nominee in 2024 and the top reason they gave was your age. So what's your message to Democrats who like you, who like what you've done but are concerned about your age and the demands of the job?" Notably, Tapper offered Biden an assist during his response to the question when the president was at a loss for words. "We've had, you know, dealing with, you know, making sure that veterans get compensated for the, for-" Biden struggled to finish his thought. "Burn pits," Tapper chimed in. "The burn pits," Biden repeated before listing other things on his agenda. Tapper, however, pumped the brakes on covering Biden's cognitive decline in the heat of the 2024 election cycle. In March 2024, following Biden's high-energy State of the Union address filled with shouting and attacking Republicans, Tapper took a swipe at the president's conservative critics who previously accused him of being "weak" and "senile." "He certainly seemed like an 81-year-old, but he didn't seem incapable of doing the job," Tapper told his panel before dismissing "Weekend at Bernie's" comparisons from the right. JEN PSAKI INSISTS SHE 'NEVER SAW' DIMINISHED BIDEN WHILE WORKING AS PRESS SECRETARY Later in the year, Biden had a string of incidents that fueled questions about his acuity, like when he stepped away from other world leaders at the G-7 Summit to give a thumbs up to parachutists off-camera, prompting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to corral him back to the group for a photo-op. There was also when Biden appeared frozen as others around him danced and swayed to a concert held on the White House lawn commemorating Juneteenth and when he stood still at his star-studded LA fundraiser until former President Obama grabbed his wrist and guided him off the stage with his hand behind Biden's back. Biden's White House and allies in the media insisted each of the viral moments, which occurred within the span of a few days in June 2024, were "cheap fakes." The CNN anchor avoided covering all three incidents, according to transcripts. In fact, it wasn't until after George Clooney wrote a scathing New York Times op-ed about Biden's behavior at the LA fundraiser and urged the president to step aside that Tapper acknowledged the freezing incident. "This was the same event, we should note, that Republicans later circulated cellphone video that seemed to show President Biden freezing on stage for about seven seconds before being led offstage by former President Obama," Tapper told viewers July 10. Tapper similarly ignored Biden's "Where's Jackie?" gaffe from September 2022 when he called out for the late Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., at an event honoring her memory after she died in a tragic car accident weeks prior. Fast-forward to September 2023, when Tapper asserted that Biden was mentally "sharp" while discussing Nikki Haley demanding cognitive tests for older politicians, suggesting that questions swirling around the president were only about whether he was "physically" able to do the job. The CNN anchor also has a mixed record of putting a spotlight on Biden's physical stumbles. His program covered Biden tripping up the stairs of Air Force One in March 2021, and his nasty spill at the June 2023 Air Force Academy commencement ceremony, but avoided the viral moment when Biden fell from his bike in June 2022. In June 2024, weeks before the debate that exposed Biden's cognitive decline on the world stage, Tapper addressed the Wall Street Journal's bombshell report on Biden showing "signs of slipping," which at the time faced intense backlash from Democrats and the liberal media. Tapper kept his focus on the White House's aggressive response to the "false" claims made in the report and repeatedly told viewers the report was "mostly based on observations of Republicans." He had a top Biden surrogate, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, on to defend the president and attempt to discredit the reporting as agenda-driven. CNN'S JAKE TAPPER INSISTS HE WON'T 'SHY AWAY' FROM COVERING HUNTER BIDEN AFTER AVOIDING LAPTOP SCANDAL IN 2020 Earlier this month, Tapper's book publisher Penguin Press released a montage, perhaps to combat critics who accused the CNN anchor of not covering Biden's cognitive decline, of clips showing him and Thompson discussing the now-former president's age on-air. Notably, the vast majority of Tapper's comments featured in the video pertained to polls showing Americans believed Biden was too old to seek a second term. While promoting his book on CNN, Tapper suggested that Biden's White House was solely responsible for the cover-up versus Democrats and the media broadly. "Well, Alex Thompson and I were on the case, as were lots of other reporters trying to figure out what was going on behind the scenes. But the bottom line is the White House was lying, not only to the press, not only to the public, but they were lying to members of their own Cabinet, they were lying to White House staffers, they were lying to Democratic members of Congress, to donors about how bad things had gotten," Tapper said Tuesday, adding that their Democratic sources refused to speak candidly about Biden until after the 2024 election. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP A spokesperson for CNN strongly pushed back at the notion that Tapper offered insufficient coverage of the Biden scandal before the debate. "Jake Tapper is a veteran journalist whose tenacious and thorough reporting has held those in power to account on both sides of the aisle for decades," the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "He fairly and accurately covered Senator, Vice President and President Biden through years of dogged Washington reporting, hitting every high and low of the former president's political career. From the campaign in 2020 to 2024 when he dropped out, Jake raised concerns about President Biden's mental stamina on his shows, questioned Biden officials directly about his health on air, and consistently encouraged open discussion and debate on the issue." "Despite bad faith allegations otherwise, the record clearly shows Jake covered the Clooney op-ed, the Hur report, and Biden physical limitations. As noted, Jake also covered Biden's physical falls multiple times, and he happened to be on assignment in Chicago off air the day after his bike fall in June 2022," the spokesperson added. Print Close URL
Wall Street Journal
18-04-2025
- Wall Street Journal
When Life Imitates Film Noir
When you watch as much film noir as I do—i.e., too much—you make connections between fictional stories and real life. This shady character reminds you of that politician. That witty comeback reminds you of something this celebrity recently said. Usually the similarities are insignificant. But occasionally there's more to it. Recently, while watching the 1949 whodunit 'Cover Up,' I had one of those noir epiphanies. Anyone following the first 2024 trial of Karen Read, or the retrial that is scheduled to begin next week, knows how her case has split the city of Canton, Mass., into two bitterly hostile camps. Ms. Read, who has pleaded not guilty, is charged with second-degree murder (and lesser felonies) in the mysterious January 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe. Prosecutors allege that she hit O'Keefe with her car and left him to die outside in a blizzard. In the 2024 trial, her defense team claimed she's the victim of a wide-reaching conspiracy perpetrated by local law-enforcement officers and friends. The first trial ended in a hung jury on July 1, 2024. 'Karen Read was framed' were the first explosive words out of lead defense attorney David Yannetti's mouth during the 2024 trial. Alan Jackson, Ms. Read's other high-profile lawyer, echoed him: 'Ladies and gentlemen, there was a coverup in this case, plain and simple.' The defense contended that Ms. Read is taking the fall for O'Keefe's death, which resulted not from a vehicular accident but from a drunken physical altercation inside the Canton home of a fellow cop. They cited lewd texts sent by the original lead investigator about Ms. Read, inexplicable butt-dials, conveniently destroyed cellphones, inverted police videos and a host of other suspicious goings-on. The bizarre ordeal has cast a giant stain on the Boston Police Department. Similarities to the Read trial abound in 'Cover Up.' Lead actor Dennis O'Keefe—who has the same surname as the Read trial murder victim—plays an insurance investigator inquiring into the suicide of one of his policyholders in a fictional town called Cleberg. But the facts don't add up: There are no powder burns on the victim, and the suicide gun is missing. One local after another stonewalls O'Keefe: the suspiciously laconic sheriff, the tight-lipped village banker, his equally taciturn daughter, the banker's evidence-destroying housekeeper, the local jeweler—even the niece who stands to gain an additional $20,000 if her uncle's death is ruled a murder. Add a gun that goes missing and then magically reappears and you begin to feel this story could as easily be set in Canton as in Cleberg. Fictional thrillers such as 'The Invasion of the Body Snatchers,' 'Soylent Green' and 'The Stepford Wives' have told tales in which a city in lockstep executes a grand malevolent plot. Perhaps we accept them because we've witnessed so many real-life conspiracies, like those depicted in 'All the President's Men' and 'Erin Brockovich.' Is the Read case the latest example? The ending of 'Cover Up' doesn't disappoint. Probably not so with the Read trial. Half of those hearing the verdict are almost certain to be outraged. Mr. Opelka is a musical-theater composer-lyricist.
