During a recent segment on “The Lead,” Jake Tapper, CNN host and chief Washington correspondent, openly acknowledged that former President Donald Trump’s claims about Hunter Biden’s involvement in accepting significant foreign funds during the 2020 presidential debates were accurate. Tapper compared the exchanges between the candidates to a report by Glenn Kessler, the chief fact-checker at The Washington Post. Kessler’s report confirmed that Hunter Biden did receive substantial amounts of money from Chinese companies. Tapper pointed out that Hunter Biden himself admitted in court to receiving payments from these companies.

Tapper played the footage of the debates, showing Trump making allegations and Biden denying them. After reviewing the evidence, Tapper conceded that Trump’s claims were accurate and Biden’s statements were incorrect. Although Tapper gave Joe Biden the benefit of the doubt, suggesting that he may not have intentionally lied, he stressed the significance of this contradiction. The conflicting information raises concerns about Biden’s campaign messaging and highlights a notable blind spot.

Tapper also addressed the president’s intense focus on negative media coverage surrounding Hunter Biden’s business dealings. He engaged his panelists in a discussion about the potential implications of this issue for President Biden. Former Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich., downplayed the significance of the blind spot, suggesting that parental biases are common and that there is no evidence linking President Biden to his son’s business dealings. Levin implied that voters might not consider this issue of great concern.

Tapper’s acknowledgment sheds light on the complexities of media coverage and political discourse, especially when it involves sensitive topics concerning public figures and their family members. The acknowledgement emphasizes the importance of examining factual information and raises questions about the credibility of certain campaign messaging.