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Carl Bernstein Defends The Press: ‘One Of The Great Reporting Jobs In History’ [VIDEO]

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Chuck Ross Investigative Reporter
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CNN’s Carl Bernstein defended the media on Sunday against criticism of its coverage of President Donald Trump and the Russia probe, saying that the press “has done one of the greatest reporting jobs” in the history of presidential coverage.

“Look, let’s look at where the disinformation and mistakes and lying have come from. It hasn’t come from the press. It’s come from the President of the United States and those around him,” Bernstein said on CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” hosted by Brian Stelter.

Stelter used the opening of his show to defend major news outlets against allegations from conservatives that the press uncritically pushed the narrative for two years that Trump colluded with Russia. (RELATED: The List Of CNN’s Bungled Reporting Is A Sight To Behold)

Special counsel Robert Mueller ended his Russia probe on Friday with the delivery of a final report to the Justice Department. An agency official said that no other indictments will be issued in the investigation, meaning that no charges were filed in the 22-month long investigation for conspiracy or collusion between Trump associates and Russia.

CNN has been at the forefront of reporting on possible collusion involving Trump, frequently airing dramatic headlines suggesting that Trump or his associates conspired with Russia. The network has also been responsible for some of the biggest blunders in Trump-Russia reporting.

On Dec. 8, 2017, CNN reported that Donald Trump Jr. received an email on Sept. 4, 2016, containing a link to WikiLeaks materials. The timing of the email was significant because the information contained in the link had not been made public. But it turned out that CNN bungled the date of the email. Trump Jr. received it on Sept. 14, 2016, a day after the information had been made public. (RELATED: CNN Botches Major ‘Bombshell’ Accusing Trump Jr. Of WikiLeaks Contact)

Bernstein was one of the reporters on another major CNN blunder.

On July 27, 2018, Bernstein and CNN’s Jim Sciutto reported that former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen was planning to tell the special counsel that he overheard Donald Trump Jr. telling his father in June 2016 about a now-infamous meeting at Trump Tower with a group of Russians.

That bombshell report soon fell apart after one of the story’s sources, Cohen lawyer Lanny Davis, acknowledged that he had inaccurate information. Cohen was not aware of Trump Jr. telling his father about the meeting.

Bernstein, best known for his Watergate coverage in the 1970s, was one of the four CNN reporters on the story that led to the publication of the Steele dossier, the unverified report that accuses Trump and his associates of colluding with the Russian government.

“I think we’ve done — the media, the press — has done one of the great reporting jobs in the history, especially of covering a presidency, by the most news organizations,” Bernstein said Sunday.

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