Does this make it official? Alert alert alert ... the cover story isn't working ...

A few voices have called for a moratorium on discussions of the cover-up around Joe Biden's senility in office after the announcement yesterday of his 'sudden' Stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis. That suggestion has produced some speculation as to whether the Bidens released the information to distract from the impact of the release of the Robert Hur deposition tapes on Friday. That speculation isn't limited to conservatives and Biden critics, either. In fact, even the usual Protection Racket Media figures smell a rat.

Or are looking to promote a book. Maybe both:

Brian Stelter on Biden's cancer announcement: "The timing, Jessica, is just extraordinary…"

Right before he promoted Tapper's book.

The media is not your friend. pic.twitter.com/GNIlKqIiqo

— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) May 19, 2025

JESSICA DEAN: CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter is joining us now. And -- and Brian, thanks for -- for -- for jumping on with us. Look, this is breaking news that came just about a cup -- two hours ago, and it is now rippling through, you know, television media, online. How are people consuming this? How is it reaching people? 

BRIAN STELTER: And, you know, I'm seeing some prostate cancer survivors, people who have lived with this disease, who have been through this, expressing support, condolences but also support and cheering Biden on as he faces this. The timing, Jessica, is -- is just extraordinary. We know from the statement from his personal spokesman that -- that Biden learned the diagnosis on Friday. Well, what was the biggest Biden story on Friday? It was the release of those audio excerpts from his conversations with Robert Hur back in 2023.

This was the audio that Axios obtained almost certainly from the Trump administration showing memory lapses. And you heard a lot of people on Friday talking about that audio being hard to hear, even excruciating to hear, Biden showing his age on those audio tapes that had never been heard by the public until now.

So, on the day that story was breaking, Biden was facing this -- this personal news, at least that's according to the statement from his personal spokesman. So, you have that as one element of the timing here. And then you have, as you and Paul just acknowledged, this book coming out, one of the biggest political books in several years. Take out our colleague, Jake Tapper, for a second. This book, no matter who -- no matter where it was coming from, was going to be a very big blockbuster book. And it just so happens two of the best reporters in Washington, Jake Tapper and Alice Thompson, are the authors of it. It's already a bestseller, based on the number of preorders.

When Brian Stelter questions the timing on a Biden announcement, that means ... well, not a lot, actually. As Defiant Ls points out, Stelter basically used it to promote the book his network's host co-authored, which Stelter has made his full-time job of late. Mark Halperin noticed it last week and called it "journalistic corruption" at its most shameless:

.@MarkHalperin: "You've got at CNN this guy Brian Stelter, who's their media reporter, who's an ally of Jake Tapper, to protect Jake Tapper's image... It's nothing short of journalistic corruption, and it's missing the moment..."

Watch and download:https://t.co/r9TLzXCunB pic.twitter.com/zbA1XzouyK

— Next Up with Mark Halperin (@NextUpHalperin) May 15, 2025

So perhaps the "I question the timing" sentiment is equally questionable in this case. Does Stelter really think the Bidens released this information as a way to bury the discussion of his cognitive decline and cover-up in the White House? Or does he just see it as a good selling point for the book? Or both?

On the other hand, Stelter apparently thought this strategy should work, and Dean agreed:

STELTER: And so, this book comes out in two days, but some of the excerpts have already come out. And it's reignited this debate in Washington and beyond within the Democratic Party about Biden, about whether he should have run for reelection at all. So, it seems to me, Jessica, this debate doesn't end at all, but it is briefly put on pause as a result of today's news.

DEAN: Absolutely. And these people really absorb this, hopefully, just in -- in a human way first.

Actually, we can do both at the same time. We can offer up prayers and sympathies for Joe Biden as he undergoes what may well be grueling treatments to deal with his prostate cancer, while at the same time finding the timing of this announcement highly suspicious. It's not as if the Biden camp built a reservoir of goodwill with their track record on transparency. Even Jill Biden's former press secretary pointed out that they earned their mistrust basically since the first day in office. Michael LaRosa made this point just a few hours before the statement about Biden's cancer, in fact:

Furthermore, this release also indicates that the White House and/or the Bidens withheld critical data on Biden's health that voters should have known before at least the 2024 primary cycle. Based on the progress of the disease, it looks as though they may have withheld critical health information from voters in the 2020 election cycle too, perhaps in both matters. This information doesn't demonstrate a need for a pause on the debate. It makes the debate all the more imperative.