Hunter Biden, Jean‑Pierre Blast Clooney Op‑Ed

Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean‑Pierre criticized George Clooney’s July 2024 New York Times op‑ed urging President Biden to drop out, calling the piece a “gut punch” that lent momentum to efforts to replace him. In a lengthy Substack interview, Hunter Biden defended his father against claims of cognitive decline and vehemently disputed a key anecdote in the Tapper–Alex Thompson book that Biden did not recognize Clooney backstage, saying that version “did not happen.” Hunter also sharply attacked CNN anchor Jake Tapper and the book Original Sin, calling Tapper “irrelevant,” accusing his reporting of being poor journalism, and suggesting (without evidence) Tapper used AI on his books. A short video clip of the Clooney–Biden encounter has surfaced and reportedly does not corroborate the book’s account; Hunter said event context and logistics explain the brief interaction and said he has not forgiven Clooney for the op‑ed.