Jake Tapper unloads on Hunter Biden as 'demonstrably unethical, sleazy and prone to horrible decisions'

CNN’s Jake Tapper had harsh words for Hunter Biden while discussing the behind-the-scenes cover-up of former President Joe Biden's mental decline with Katie Couric on Tuesday.

Tapper appeared with Axios reporter Alex Thompson on Couric’s podcast "Next Question" to chat about their book "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again."

While talking about the Biden family, Tapper said he found that Hunter had an undue amount of influence in the White House, "almost like a chief of staff."

"It’s bizarre because I think he is provably, demonstrably unethical, sleazy and prone to horrible decisions," Tapper said.

CNN host Jake Tapper discussed his new book "Original Sin" with Katie Couric on Tuesday, which he co-authored with Alex Thompson. (Screenshot/"Next Question with Katie Couric")

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"Tell me how you really feel," Couric remarked.

He continued, "Just look at the record: after his brother died, he cheated on his wife with his brother’s widow and then got her addicted to crack. That’s just one thing I could say. I don’t have a lot of personal regard for him…I barely have ever met him. I’ve met him like once or twice."

By contrast, Tapper said that he had known Biden’s other son Beau before his death in 2015 and considered him an upstanding citizen.

"But Hunter is not [everything Beau was], and the idea of letting him drive the family car, as it were, is just really, really questionable," Tapper said.

Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson said Hunter had overwhelming influence over decisions in the Biden administration. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Both Tapper and Thompson remarked on how protecting Hunter from legal consequences was likely one of the factors in the decision for Biden to run for a second term. Thompson added that he believed Hunter at times abused their relationship.

Tapper had initially been reluctant to address issues surrounding Hunter Biden before Biden’s first term, calling some of the allegations against him "too disgusting" to repeat on CNN in 2020.

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However, by 2023, Tapper had begun to aggressively attack the Biden administration regarding Hunter and his questionable foreign business deals. 

Tapper began criticizing Hunter Biden's questionable foreign deals in 2023 despite calling allegations against Hunter Biden "too disgusting" to show on CNN in 2020. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage | Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

"Look, I mean, Hunter Biden is who he is. It's pretty clear who he is," Tapper said in 2023. "In addition to being an addict, he's a guy who ethically has - there have been questions raised about his behavior, and I think it's worth covering."

He also attacked Biden for lying about his claims that he would not pardon Hunter only to do so in the final weeks of his term.

Fox News Digital reached out to a representative for Hunter Biden for comment, but did not immediately hear back. 

Hunter Biden separately blasted Tapper in an interview with Breaker on Wednesday, saying he was "furious" with the CNN host for reaching out to him repeatedly while his brother Beau was dying in 2015 in pursuit of a scoop about the situation. Breaker also reported that Tapper and Hunter Biden had an angry confrontation at the Super Bowl in 2018.

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A spokesperson for Tapper denied he had acted thoughtlessly around Beau Biden's death, noting Tapper was subsequently offered interviews with the president and co-moderated the 2024 debate.