Free Republic

On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” host Jake Tapper reacted to 2024 Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump comparing the situation on college campuses to Charlottesville by stating that “There has been some anti-Israel sentiment and there has been some antisemitic sentiment,” but “most of them” were “peaceful, most of them in support of Palestinian rights” and “that’s not what the neo-Nazis in the Unite the Right rally were doing. That was not a peaceful march that turned into something ugly. It was ugly from the word go.”

CNN’s new CEO is looking at the ratings (he must have an electron microscope), looking at the salaries of his overpaid anchors, and thinking it’s time to make some changes. InTouch reports, “New CEO Mark Thompson is preparing ruthless cuts to remake the network as ratings plunge — leaving Anderson Cooper, Chris Wallace, Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper facing dates with the axman, a source says.” This is what I found fascinating — replacing these liars and basement-rated losers with Megyn Kelly — someone who actually attracts a sizable audience: Sources say [Thompson] has no use for the star system...

CNN anchor Jake Tapper said Sunday on his show “State of the Union” that it was “stunning” former President Donald Trump was quoting Russian President Vladimir Putin on persecution of political rivals. Saturday, at a rally, Trump said, “Vladimir Putin, of Russia, said that Biden’s persecution of his political rival is very good for Russia because it shows the rottenness of the American political system, which can not pretend to teach others about democracy.”

CNN anchor Jake Tapper said Friday on his show “The Lead” that former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani engaged in “in the worst kind of racist sleaze imaginable” when accusing two election workers in Georgia of moving “dope.” Tapper said, “To remind folks, I want to play what Rudy Giuliani said, just a piece of what he said about Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman, remember, they’re mother and daughter, way back in 2020, to the Georgia State House, some of the defamatory comments he said. Remember, they’re behavior, their conduct, Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman has been vouched for not only...

Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” anchor Jake Tapper asked National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan why it looked like nothing was being done to rescue Americans currently held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. Partial transcript as follows: TAPPER: Is rescuing the hostages a priority at all? I mean, Israeli news media, like “Haaretz,” they say it doesn’t seem like it at all. And frankly, Jake, if my kids were being held hostage in Gaza — and, as you know, there are Americans being held hostage in Gaza right now — I’d want you to send in the Navy SEALs....

Friday on CNN’s “The Lead,” anchor Jake Tapper asked Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan if his country could “hold all 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza responsible” for the Hamas terror attacks in Israel by bombing Gaza. Erdan said, “Sadly, it’s very sad, because I really feel sorry for the suffering of the people of Gaza. But we should all remember, they elected Hamas 18 years ago. Hamas is the only one responsible for everything that is happening there. Hamas embedded its terrorist infrastructure within the civilian population under public facilities and there’s no other way to eradicate...

Thursday on CNN’s “The Lead,” anchor Jake Tapper asked Ford CEO Jim Farley why, after CEOs got large raises, they can’t “share the profits” with the workers to avoid a strike. Tapper said, “I just interviewed Shawn, the head of the UAW, the other day, and I wanted to pass on a question based on something he’d told me the other day, which is over the last four years, each of the big three car manufacturer CEOs in addition to their multi-million dollar salaries, they received on average a 40% pay increase. So why are the auto workers wanting a...

CNN anchor Jake Tapper said Friday on “CNN News Central” that Republicans had “legitimate questions” about Attorney General Merrick Garland’s decision to appoint David and Weiss as special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden. Tapper said, “I think there are some legitimate questions about this whole situation. First of all, I do think it’s fair to question why would U.S. Attorney Weiss be appointed to special counsel. Usually, a special counsel comes– is an outside attorney. Now, it has happened before, Durham came from inside, and the attorney general has the right to do that, but it is odd.”

Thursday on CNN’s “The Lead,” anchor Jake Tapper told House Oversight and Accountability Committee chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) that he has not seen evidence President Joe Biden did anything illegal related to his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings. Tapper said, “So let’s pause it for the sake of argument that Hunter Biden is sleazy, and the president’s relatives tried to profit off the Biden family brand, something CNN has reported on. What’s new in this memo?”

Here is Jake Tapper's interview with Governor Ron DeSantis earlier today. In this, he speaks at length about the persecution of Trump. And other topics...

CNN anchor Jake Tapper said former President Trump continues to pose a major challenge to media organizations covering him. “I think that every news organization in America was disrupted by Donald Trump,” Tapper said during an appearance on journalist Kara Swisher’s podcast published Monday. “Especially by his attacking the media.” Tapper, CNN’s chief Washington correspondent, noted Trump has “picked on us a lot, but that’s OK,” adding “he knocked everybody in the news media off.” Trump attacked Tapper last month after the anchor directed CNN’s control room during coverage of the former president’s arraignment in Florida to stop showing video...

After John Durham's newly released report confirmed the Trump-Russia collusion narrative was entirely fabricated, several notable media figures admitted they lied to the American people for 3 years but promised that they're totally telling the truth about everything else. "I would never lie to the American people. Except for that one time. That doesn't count," said CBS News Anchor Scott Pelley. "Just look at how serious and trustworthy my face is. Look at my sincere gaze as I stare soulfully into the camera and deliver my prepared lines with the gravitas of a real truth-teller. Come on!" "You can still...

Monday, moments after the long-anticipated Durham report about the Department of Justice and FBI probe into allegations the Trump 2016 presidential campaign colluded with the Russian government to win the presidency, CNN’s “The Lead” host Jake Tapper weighed in on the results. Tapper acknowledged to his viewers the report, which criticized the FBI for the intelligence used to justify its investigation, was “devastating” to the agency and exonerated former President Donald Trump.

CNN anchor Jake Tapper said Monday on his show “The Lead” that former President Donald Trump’s behavior was “deranged” while reacting to January 6 House Select Committee testimony from General Mark Milley that the Trump administration considered court-martialing retired general and admirals for writing critical articles. Tapper said, “The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, testified about unflattering opinion articles written about Trump by former Flag officers, general and admirals. In referring to one of those former officials, Milley said Trump and his aids asked Milly to quote, ‘Bring him back on Active Duty, court-martial him,...

CNN’s Jake Tapper will be exiting prime time after the midterms due to poor ratings and will return to his original afternoon slot. CNN president Chris Licht pushed Tapper into a prime-time slot at 9:00 p.m. this past September following the departures of disgraced former president Jeff Zucker and anchor Chris Cuomo late last year. He will soon resume his original 4:00 p.m. slot with his show The Lead after the midterm elections. The Hill noted: At the time, the network said the switch in Tapper’s time slot, and several others CNN made to its lineup for the midterm elections,...

CNN anchor Jake Tapper said some elected officials and TV anchors are to blame for creating a “permission structure” that has opened the door for political violence, after news broke that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) husband was attacked in the couple’s home on Friday. “There are people in mainstream accepted society – elected officials, TV anchors, others – who have been creating a permission structure that is helping to open the door to this violence,” Tapper said on Friday night.

CNN anchor Jake Tapper took a beating on social media for suggesting that no “national conversation” happened over the potential damage that school closures could have on children. During a segment of CNN Tonight on Friday, Tapper confessed to feeling “surprised” by the fact nobody discussed the lockdown damage on children, even though conservatives were rightly doing that in the early days of the pandemic. Tapper also further called for a “bipartisan movement” to address the educational crisis.

CNN anchor Jake Tapper said Monday on his show “The Lead” that former President Donald Trump’s “heinous attacks” against Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s wife, former Secretary Elaine Chao were “just racist.” Tapper said, “In our politics lead, harsh criticism from former political allies of Donald Trump following a pair of heinous attacks against Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and his wife, former Secretary Elaine Chao, she was the former Transportation Secretary for Trump. On his Truth Social account Trump wrote, quote, ‘Is McConnell approving all these trillions of dollars worth of Democrat-sponsored billions without even the slightest bit of...

CNN anchor Jake Tapper said Thursday on his show “The Lead” it is “wild” that Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is so “untethered from all of the facts and evidence” she still believes former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election. Tapper said, “Ginni Thomas, the conservative activist, and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, met today with Jan. 6 House Select Committee. Her lawyers stressed it was a voluntary interview, even though members of the panel have wanted to speak to her for some time about her involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020...

As CNN tries to rebuild public trust, the network made the bizarre choice to move Jake Tapper to primetime. It’s supposed to impress Republicans in Washington that new CNN boss Chris Licht has fired a few people at the channel and demoted some others. It’s probably working, but nothing proves how truly meaningless the changes are than that it was announced Thursday that the highly sensitive and monotonous Jake Tapper will be getting a primetime show. Axios ran no fewer than three stories promoting Licht’s efforts to assure Republicans in Congress that they should give CNN a chance under his...