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The concealment of Joe Biden’s deteriorating health may surpass the significance of the Watergate scandal, according to an author of a controversial new book addressing the former president’s cognitive decline.
CNN host Jake Tapper co-authored “Original Sin,” a critical narrative detailing Biden’s deterioration and the attempts by those surrounding him to hide it from public scrutiny.
There was ongoing speculation about Biden’s physical and mental health throughout his presidency, which ultimately led to his withdrawal from the 2024 election following a poorly received debate performance against Donald Trump.
But Tapper made a jaw-dropping remark when challenged on his book’s conclusion in an interview with Piers Morgan on Monday.
Quoting from the book, Morgan said: “Joe Biden is not Richard Nixon, and the hiding and cover-up of his deterioration is not Watergate.”
He added: “I am not entirely sure I agree, Jake, with that conclusion.”
But in a stunning moment, the CNN anchor said the cover-up of Biden’s health “maybe even worse than Watergate in some ways”.
“Because Richard Nixon was in control of his faculties when he was not drinking,” he clarified.
He said that while he sees the Biden cover-up as an “entirely separate scandal” from Watergate, he still considers it a “a scandal” nonetheless.
Tapper added the book was not “mean to exonerate” Biden in its conclusion that this scandal was “not Watergate”.
“The only reason that we have the Watergate thing in there is because we quote Archibald Cox, who was a Watergate investigator, talking about how powerful the presidency is and how presidents get surrounded by people who have a vested interest in keeping that president propped up,” he told Morgan.
“This is an entirely separate scandal,” Tapper repeated. “Maybe even worse … maybe even worse.”
It comes following the announcement the Joe Biden has been diagnosed with “aggressive” prostate cancer.
A spokesperson for the former president said: “While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.”
Biden’s ailing health was the subject of intense speculation for much of his time in the White House, with many observers questioning if he was fit to serve a second term in office.
While the octogenarian initially announced he would seek re-election, he dropped out of the race after a calamitous debate performance in June 2024.
He was replaced as presumptive Democratic nominee by his Vice President Kamala Harris, who would go on to lose to Trump in November.
Timeline of Biden’s failed re-election bid
President Joe Biden endured weeks of calls to step aside before he announced on July 21 that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. Here are key developments leading up to his decision.
June 27: Biden’s disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump sparks calls for him to step aside. His voice was raspy and he trailed off several times after having already endured questions about his age and mental capacity following a series of blunders at public events.
July 2: Polls after the debate indicate that Trump is pulling ahead. Texas Representative Lloyd Doggett was the first Democratic congressman to publicly urge Biden to drop his bid for re-election, and big Democratic donors issued the same call a day later.
July 5: Biden does a live TV interview with George Stephanopoulos where he tries to quell fears about his age and debate performance. He called the debate “bad night” and said he was under the weather and “exhausted.”
July 10: Vermont Senator Peter Welch becomes the first senator to call for Biden to drop out.
July 11: Biden refers to Ukrainian President Zelensky as President Putin at a NATO event.
July 13: Trump is shot at a campaign rally by a wannabe assassin. His popularity and favorability rating soared after he was seen bloodied on stage but walked off with a fist in the air, telling the crowd to “fight!”
July 17: California Representative Adam Schiff and a series of other Democrats call for Biden to step aside. Even former President Barack Obama tells allies that Biden’s path to victory has “greatly diminished.” Biden tests positive for Covid-19 hours after saying he would consider ending his bid if he were diagnosed with “some medical issue.”
July 19: Biden insists he will continue campaigning in his first statement since Obama’s U-turn, despite reports that he would decide to drop out by the weekend.
July 21: Just before 2 pm, Biden announces he is stepping aside in the 2024 election and endorses Vice President Kamala Harris.
But the debate was far from the only sign of Biden’s deterioration.
Biden once failed to recognise George Clooney at a fundraiser when the A-lister was stood right in front of him, according to insiders.
“It was like watching someone who was not alive,” a Hollywood source said in the book.
“It was startling. And we all looked at each other. It was so awful.”
Another leaked audio clip appears to show Biden struggling to recall when his son Beau had died.
Speaking to Morgan, Tapper addressed criticisms that many in the US media had failed to sufficiently cover reports of Biden’s ailing health.
“I feel like I owe the American people an acknowledgement that I wish I had covered the story better,” he said.
Tapper told CNN earlier this month: “I think some of the criticism is fair, to be honest.
“Of me, certainly. I’m not going to speak for anybody else, but knowing then what I know now, I look back at my coverage during the Biden years — and I did cover some of these issues, but not enough.
“I look back on it with humility.”
