CNN’s Jake Tapper has taken issue with the media’s portrayal of those who raised concerns about former President Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities, yet his own network was complicit in the smear campaign against Robert Hur and The Wall Street Journal. During an appearance on Bari Weiss’ ‘Honestly’ podcast, Tapper criticized the media’s attacks on those who questioned Biden’s mental acuity, including Special Counsel Robert Hur and The Wall Street Journal. He condemned the media’s role in spreading false narratives and praised the investigative work of WSJ reporters Annie Linskey and Siobhan Hughes. However, Tapper failed to acknowledge that CNN itself was part of the media’s criticism of Hur and the Journal.
Two major events in early 2024 brought attention to Biden’s cognitive decline. In February, the release of the Hur report, which found that the Justice Department would not seek charges against Biden for mishandling classified information, highlighted concerns about his memory. The report noted that Biden could not recall key dates, such as when he was in office and when his son Beau died. In June, the Wall Street Journal published an in-depth report titled ‘Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping,’ which detailed how Biden appeared slower and had inconsistent cognitive function according to more than 45 sources.
Despite these reports, CNN’s coverage was mixed. Jim Acosta, Tapper’s colleague, questioned whether Hur’s assessment was ‘out of bounds,’ while CNN commentator and former Biden White House communications director Kate Bedingfield accused Hur of ‘editorializing.’ Jeffrey Toobin, a CNN legal expert, criticized Hur for emphasizing Biden’s age, calling it a ‘disgrace.’ Paul Begala, another CNN liberal pundit, accused Hur of ‘editorializing’ and suggested he was motivated by personal vendetta.
Other CNN voices, such as Gloria Borger and Oliver Darcy, defended Biden’s mental state and criticized the WSJ’s reporting. Borger claimed Biden didn’t forget his son’s death, while Darcy argued that Hur’s portrayal of Biden was misleading. Following the WSJ’s report, CNN critics like Boris Sanchez and Darcy criticized the paper’s coverage, suggesting it was ‘slanted’ and that similar reporting on Trump would not face the same scrutiny.
CNN has declined to comment on the matter, leaving the role of its own network in the media’s treatment of Hur and the Wall Street Journal open for debate. Tapper’s criticism of the media’s smear campaign appears to ignore his network’s part in the controversy, highlighting an internal contradiction in his critique.