CNN host Jake Tapper criticized Democrats for launching a “smear campaign” against two “heroic” Wall Street Journal reporters who reported on former President Joe Biden’s declining health during the 2024 election, calling the attacks “disgraceful” on Wednesday.
Introducing the reporters to his CNN show The Lead, Tapper welcomed “two of the heroic reporters that were covering this intensely during the Biden years, Annie Linskey and Siobhan Hughes,” who “reported on the decline of Biden’s acuity back in June of last year.”
Tapper then remarked, “I said it last year before the election, and I’ll say it again, the journalism you did was vital, and the smear campaign by Democrats against you two is disgraceful. So thanks for being here.”
Asking the two reporters whether they felt “vindicated” when their story was seemingly proven true following Biden’s disastrous performance in the first 2024 presidential debate against Donald Trump, Linskey replied, “Yeah, I mean, I do. I do feel that our reporting has been vindicated, you know, particularly after that first story came out and there was such blowback by Democrats, and really ten minutes into that debate, I know that my phone was blowing up with some people apologizing for their criticism of us, and you know, from there we were off and running.”
She continued, “So there is a vindication, but it was just really
Tapper then told the two reporters they were mentioned in his new book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.
“You’re heroic. Don’t worry, you’re portrayed positively,” he assured.
Tapper reveals several stories about Biden’s slipping health in his book, including discussions among his staff about putting the former president in a wheelchair and an encounter where Biden failed to recognize ally and Hollywood star George Clooney.
The CNN host acknowledged this week that he did not cover Biden’s health enough on the network during the 2024 election.
“I look back at my coverage during the Biden years — and I did cover some of these issues, but not enough,” he confessed. “I look back on it with humility.”
Watch above via CNN.