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A former communications aide to President Biden is now playing a crucial role in the public relations efforts for a provocative new book detailing the former president’s decline during his time in office.
CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson have released their book titled “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.” The book hit the shelves on Tuesday and it has already attracted substantial media attention. It discusses concerns regarding Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities and alleges that his administration sought to suppress information about his competency to serve as president.
The authors enlisted the crisis management firm Heller to oversee the book’s public relations strategy. This decision comes in light of the significant media coverage surrounding the book, which has sparked both interest and criticism. Reporters seeking information about the book have been directed to reach out to Nate Evans, a seasoned Democratic communications strategist and senior vice president at Heller.
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Evans joined Heller shortly after Biden’s presidency concluded and boasts nearly three years of experience working in a New York-based role for the State Department during Biden’s administration. His background includes serving as a senior communications advisor for Vice President Kamala Harris from September to December 2024, a role he took on after Harris was selected as the party’s nominee in place of Biden. Additionally, he has held various positions in Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office and worked as the communications director for the Biden campaign in Wisconsin during the 2020 election.
According to a source familiar with the staffing dynamics of the Biden administration, Evans’s prior roles would have limited his direct interaction with the president.
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Evans has also been involved in Harris’ initial presidential campaign in 2019, worked on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, and held various positions in the Obama White House. Notably, a personal account linked to Evans indicated he fulfilled spokesperson duties for both Biden and Harris until a recent inquiry led to the removal of this information.
Despite efforts to reach him, Evans has not provided any comments on the situation.
Risa Heller, who leads the Heller firm, previously held the position of communications director for Senator Chuck Schumer from 2005 to 2007, showcasing another connection to high-profile Democratic politics.
The book highlights alarming insights into Biden’s declining mental health while in office. Many Democrats remained silent about these concerns during his presidency, while conservative critics argue that they recognized these issues long before the publication of this book.
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Throughout his book promotional tour, Tapper has expressed a sense of “humility” regarding his earlier coverage of Biden. He acknowledged the validity of some criticisms directed at him regarding how he covered Biden’s presidency.
During an interview with CNN, Tapper outlined his reflections, stating, “I think some of the criticism is fair, to be honest. I’m not going to speak for anybody else, but knowing then what I know now, I look back at my coverage during the Biden years — and I did cover some of these issues, but not enough. I look back on it with humility.” His candid acknowledgment speaks volumes about the evolving narrative surrounding Biden’s leadership.
While Tapper refrained from commenting further on the record, Thompson also did not respond to requests for additional input.
As the discussion surrounding this book intensifies, the implications for Biden’s political future and the methodologies of political communication in addressing health concerns will remain at the forefront of public discourse.
Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.
