CNN’s Jake Tapper has drawn criticism for writing a book that delves into the alleged cover-up surrounding Joe Biden’s health, despite accusations that he and his network engaged in similar practices.

The book, titled ‘Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,’ co-authored by Tapper and CNN contributor Alex Thompson, offers a detailed examination of the former president’s purported decline and the efforts to conceal it.

It was announced Wednesday morning, by the the book’s publisher Penguin Press.

Within hours, onlookers were expressing ire toward CNN and airing accusations of hypocrisy – as the network advertised the looming May release.

Commenters under CNN’s own story claimed the station had been ‘complicit in the fraud’, as other singled out Tapper specifically. 

Others derisively mocked the State of the Union host, framing his book as a shameless attempt at deflection.

Following the release of the book, one individual commented that Tapper “needs to go,” a sentiment echoed after a senior CNN staff member disclosed to DailyMail.com that the network had let go of 200 employees due to an overabundance of workers who were not meeting expectations.

All honed in on the mainstream media Tapper and Thompson said they had successfully unmasked, while seemingly ignoring the pair’s part in the reporting.

 Tapper, 55, notably moderated the June 2024 debate that sparked Biden’s decision to bow out.

‘The hopelessly corrupt leftist media, like CNN, was complicit in the fraud. Where is the penalty?,’ wrote one CNN user, after the Warner Discovery-owned website launched a paywall that charges users $3.99 per month in October. 

‘Can the Dem self-proclaimed stewards of democracy tell us what unelected person was lurking in the shadows actually exercising the powers of the presidency?’ they asked, pointing to an even deeper conspiracy.

‘So now that “cat is out of the bag” [after] Tapper decides to write a book about it,’ someone else sniped.

‘I wonder if he will include himself and all of the other “news reporters” in the cover-up. 

‘Most people could see the decline in Biden, and didn’t go on air to tell millions of viewers that the emperor did have clothes on, when we could see the naked truth,’ they continued, echoing the opinions of countless others aired during the buildup to Biden’s bowing out.   

‘Tapper needs to go.’

‘This is rich,’ another griped. ‘Tapper (and the rest of the media and democrats) are SHOCKED to find that Biden was in decline[,] [b]ut is nothing but an attempt to deflect criticism from them for not doing their jobs and lying to the public. 

‘What’s even more rich is that the platform they had their puppet president run on was to save Democracy,’ they went on. 

‘So, propping up a candidate who was clearly in mental decline… so that the democrats could stay in power is saving Democracy? That’s rich.’  

‘What is the point of this, except to make the writers money?’ another chimed in. ‘No respect for Tapper.’  

‘Most of the media ignored Biden’s decline and didn’t investigate till after the debate,’ a final user remarked.

‘I’m not a Fox News fan but to their credit they were pointing it out for some time.’

Others offered more of the same on X, reacting to Tapper and Thompson’s joint project and what they perceived as general hypocrisy from the former.

‘It’s a book written by Jake about how Jake covered up Biden’s decline so Jake could write a book,’ one user wrote. Tell me – if Biden had won would this book still be published?’

‘If the book includes the role @jaketapper himself played, critically, I’ll buy it. I’m game to support anyone who can reflect and learn on their mistakes,’ someone else said. ‘Otherwise, hard pass.’

 

A synopsis for the book provided in a press release, meanwhile, described the liberal-led plot. It frames Biden, ‘his family, and his senior aides’ as ‘so convinced that only he could beat Trump again, they lied to themselves, allies, and the public.’

‘What you will learn makes President Biden’s decision to run for reelection seem shockingly narcissistic, self-delusional, and reckless – a desperate bet that went bust,’ Penguin stated while announcing the book.’

The publisher further framed the attempt – fueled by coverage that likely aired on legacy stations like ABC, NBC, and CBS – as ‘part of a larger act of extended public deception that has few precedents.’

Tapper – who also moderated a 2020 debate between the then-candidates – added in a separate statement, in which he quoted Nobel Prize winning novelist Toni Morrison.

‘”If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”‘

‘That’s what inspired this book,’ the Lead With Jake Tapper host said. ‘We wanted to know more about what we all just lived through. 

‘More than 200 interviews later, Alex and I have a much better idea,’ he said, talking up the book’s sourcing.

‘And soon you all will too.’

The statement was delivered a little more than six months removed from the Atlanta debate that Tapper moderated, which led to accusations that CNN’s lead Washington anchor took it easy on the president.

One segment in particular sparked such accusations, after Tapper appeared to cut the 81-year-old off in the midst of a rambling, nonsensical answer – one of several later cited after the Democrats’ abrupt turnaround to opting for Kamala Harris.

‘We’d be able to wipe out his debt,’ Biden said at the time of sums incurred by Trump-era tax cuts he said ‘benefited the very wealthy.’

‘We’d be able to help make sure all those things we need to do: child care, elder care, making sure that we continue to strengthen our health care system,’ he continued, stumbling at times over his words.

‘Making sure that we’re able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I’ve been able to do with the… with the COVID, excuse me, with um, dealing with everything we have to with, uh,’ he went on, languishing at this point. 

‘Look, if we finally beat Medicare…’

He proceeded to fully trail off. 

The silence that ensued – and the overall moment – went on to live in infamy, after Tapper’s timely interjection.

‘Thank you President Biden – President Trump?’

Within days – thanks an array of other viral flubs during the make-or-break faceoff – Biden was bombarded with bipartisan calls to drop out.

He eventually did, albeit reluctantly, after several weeks.

That said, Tapper was one of few left-leaning hosts to call attention to Biden’s seemingly waning health in the months leading up the debate, while talents like Thompson gave time to accounts from White House staffers insisting the president was fine.

Tapper, moreover, cut off Lara Trump during a tense interview that aired on State of the Union in 2020, during an conversation about the candidate’s ‘cognitive decline.’

The host – who was reportedly just denied a raise – had just aired a clip of Trump’s daughter-in-law criticizing Biden’s tendency to stutter, calling it evidence of ‘cognitive decline’

‘I’m like “Joe, can ya get it out, let’s get the words out, Joe,” You kinda feel bad for him,’ she said – leading Tapper to chide her and point out previous reporting surrounding Biden overcoming a stutter on his path to becoming a senator.