Former DNC Chair Jaime Harrison is forcefully denying a claim from a new book by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, calling it a “bold-faced lie” that he says damages the credibility of the entire project.
The book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, alleges that President Joe Biden failed to recognize Harrison during an interaction at an event in 2023 — something Harrison adamantly denies.
“It was a bold-faced lie,” Harrison told MSNBC’s The Weekend host Eugene Daniels on Sunday. “I don’t know where the hell they got that from. And I’ve told that to Alex… it’s really, excuse my language, pissing me off that they continue to push it.”
Harrison, 49, sarcastically suggested maybe he needs a cognitive test himself, since he has no memory of the incident. “That did not happen,” he said, doubling down on his denial and questioning the integrity of the book’s reporting.
He also disputed another viral moment referenced in the book — the now-infamous video of Barack Obama helping Biden off stage at a 2024 fundraiser. Harrison said he and his wife were in the audience and recalled that Biden was being interrupted by protesters shouting about Palestine, and Obama simply guided him away during the disruption.
“That part where they show Barack Obama holding on to Joe Biden’s arm… I went to my wife and said, ‘wasn’t that when those three young white men were protesting?’ She said, ‘yeah, I remember that.’”
Tapper, in contrast, recently claimed the White House lied when it labeled such videos as “cheapfakes,” arguing the videos accurately showed Biden appearing confused or disoriented.
Still, Harrison says the Biden-Obama interaction was taken out of context. “That book lost all credibility when they put my name in it for something that did not happen,” he said.
Earlier this month, Harrison posted on X: “Better check my cognitive abilities as well because I sure as hell don’t remember this,” rejecting the book’s version of events and accusing the authors of fabrication.
In response, Axios’ Jake Wilkins defended the book, stating the authors “didn’t make anything up.”
Despite growing questions about Biden’s age and fitness, particularly following a rocky debate performance, Harrison reaffirmed his support, stating “we’re still riding with Biden.”