Carl Bernstein responds to Trump ‘taunt’: ‘I stand by my reporting’

Veteran journalist Carl Bernstein fired back after repeated attacks from President Trump, saying he stands by his July report about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting.

“I have spent my life as a journalist bringing the truth to light, through administrations of both parties,” Bernstein tweeted at Trump. “No taunt will diminish my commitment to that mission, which is the essential role of a free press. @CNN stands by its story, and I stand by my reporting.”

Bernstein response came after the president called him a “degenerate fool” who lives in the past and made up a fake story.

{mosads} Bernstein, known for his coverage of the Nixon-era Watergate scandal, co-wrote an article for CNN that reported Trump’s former lawyer and “fixer,” Michael Cohen, was willing to testify before special counsel Robert Mueller that then-GOP candidate Trump knew about the June 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. 

Cohen’s attorney, Lanny Davis, later confirmed that he was a source for Bernstein.

Davis, who is an opinion contributor at The Hill, said it was a “major mistake.”

“I regret not being much clearer in saying I’m not sure about this story,” Davis said on Tuesday. “It’s a major mistake for which I am 100 percent sorry. Period. I never should have done it unless I was certain and could prove it.”

CNN has stood by Bernstein’s reporting, stating it had multiple sources.

“Make no mistake, Mr. President, CNN does not lie,” the official Twitter account for CNN Communications tweeted late Wednesday. “We report the news. And we report when people in power tell lies. CNN stands by our reporting and our reporters. There may be many fools in this story but @carlbernstein is not one of them.” 

On Sunday, Trump Jr. claimed that CNN was “covering for leftist hack” Bernstein by standing by the story.

“Comical to watch @CNN covering for leftist hack @carlbernstein,” the president’s eldest son tweeted. “He & Obama staffer @jimsciutto obviously got story wrong. CNN ‘stands by’ it anyway, defending literal fake news. 3 ‘reporters’ were fired for false CNN hit on [former White House communications director Anthony] Scaramucci & this is FAR worse!

This article was updated and corrected at 11:30 a.m.