CNN’s David Axelrod Calls for Debate Over Biden Cover-Up to Be ‘Set Aside’ After Cancer Diagnosis
CNN chief political analyst and longtime Democratic operative David Axelrod called for conversations about the cover-up of former President Joe Biden’s decline to be “muted” and “set aside” after the Biden camp revealed that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer over the weekend.
In a statement on Sunday, Biden’s office revealed that “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone. While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management. The president and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
A short while later, Axelrod weighed in on the sad news during an appearance on Fredricka Whitfield’s CNN show:
WHITFIELD: As you mentioned, this comes at a time when there is so much, and continued attention, you know, placed on his mental acuity and stability. As well as ahead of this book release, and you mentioned there’s been a lot of discussion about it. His medical condition now, his announced medical condition now, do you believe that silences or delays a lot of conversations about his, you know, last year and a half of his presidency, for now?
AXELROD: Yeah, well I think those conversations are going to happen, but they should be more muted and set aside for now as he’s struggling through this. Yeah, it’s-, I just-, it shouldn’t be stunning because prostate cancer is so common among men at his stage in life. Most men, if they live long enough, deal with prostate cancer but, and it’s great news that they think that it’s manageable, but jarring nonetheless. You know, the thing, Fred, is that people who serve in these offices, they sort of become embedded in our lives. And you know, and this is a reminder that no one’s immortal. And so it’s jarring. And I had the opportunity to serve with Vice President Biden for two years in the White House. And I was around when some of the concerns about health, Beau’s health-, later on when i was working as a consultant of the campaign, Beau’s health came to the fore, and I just feel for the family, you know, because it’s one more thing to struggle with right now.
Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson’s much-anticipated book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, is set to be released on Tuesday.
Watch above via CNN.
