ESPN’s fiery host, Stephen A. Smith, ignited a fresh wave of controversy on Fox News’ “Hannity” by lambasting those he considers “complicit” in the alleged cover-up of former President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline on Thursday.
Smith’s remarks come amidst heightened scrutiny surrounding Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson’s new book, “Original Sin,” which reportedly details alarming insights into the early days of the Biden administration.
Smith, known for his no-holds-barred commentary, was blunt and to the point when addressing the book’s revelations and Tapper’s role. While acknowledging Tapper’s journalistic integrity in bringing the story to light, Smith questioned the timing and the potential motivations behind the book, particularly in light of Tapper’s past perceived silence on the issue.
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“Here’s the problem with Jake,” Smith said on “Hannity,” referencing his own show’s consistent reporting on Biden’s cognitive state since 2019. “We started reporting on this show in 2019… Anybody with eyes to see knew. He didn’t cover it, he excoriated [others who did], and now he’s making money off the deal.”
Tapper, who was recently interviewed on Smith’s show, defended his intentions, stating, “Our only agenda was to find out what happened, uh, our only agenda was to write this book.” He also dismissed accusations of a “money grab,” emphasizing that his primary income comes from CNN and that authors typically write books for legacy rather than significant financial gain.
However, the core of Smith’s criticism, and what he highlighted as the “biggest White House scandal of our lifetime,” was directed at the individuals within the Democratic Party and the administration who he believes were aware of Biden’s alleged cognitive decline and actively worked to conceal it.
“What’s even more alarming,” Smith quoted Tapper, “not a single one of his sources for the book expressed any regret or remorse over their role in the scandal.”
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Smith emphasized that he, along with many others, observed signs of Biden’s “debilitation” years before the election. He argued that the true “culprits” are those “within the Democratic Party who were up close than you, myself, or many, many other American citizens knew, and they were not only complicit but were willing to circumvent the Constitution of the United States.”
He further charged that these individuals were “willing to shove aside the wishes of American voters” and “wanted to bypass a primary… to ensure that their God was in office instead of Donald Trump.” Smith found this particularly “alarming,” especially given the Democratic Party’s past criticisms of Donald Trump.
“They wanted to bypass elements of the democratic process in order to ensure that their guy was in office instead of Donald Trump, and to me, when you’ve walked around as a party labeling Donald Trump, for years, and then if a book comes out detailing how several people within the administration and within the Democratic party may have been guilty of this, instead of Trump,” said Smith. “I find that to be incredibly alarming, and it’s something usually I’m getting on you (Hannity) for how dogged you are and how relentless and persistent you are with your takes on the Democratic party, Sean. But you will not get a dissenting word from me, I think hell needs to rain down upon anybody who was complicit and involved in anything.”
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The heated exchange on “Hannity” underscores the growing political fallout from the revelations in “Original Sin.”
As the book continues to generate headlines, questions surrounding who knew what, when they knew it, and the motivations behind alleged cover-ups are likely to intensify, potentially shaping the political landscape for months to come.
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