Donald Trump Jr. on Sunday claimed CNN is covering up for “leftist hack” Carl Bernstein, a veteran journalist known for his coverage of Watergate, over his reporting about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting.
“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!”
Bernstein and CNN chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto were the reporters who wrote in July that Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen was willing to tell special counsel Robert Mueller that President Trump knew about the June 2016 meeting between Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer promising dirt on then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
The CNN story was followed by a Washington Post story the next day concerning Cohen’s claims about Trump’s knowledge of Russian efforts during the election. The Post said that information came from Cohen’s lawyer, Lanny Davis, who agreed to go on the record over the weekend.
Davis, an opinion contributor to The Hill, has backtracked in recent days, telling the Post he is unsure if Cohen knows whether Trump was aware of Russia’s efforts to influence the presidential race. Davis said he “should have been more clear” that he doesn’t know the extent of Cohen’s knowledge, particularly when it comes to the Trump Tower meeting.
In his tweet, Trump Jr. referenced the Post story, in which CNN said it stands by the Trump Tower story co-bylined by Bernstein. CNN has stated it had multiple sources for its article.
“We stand by our story, and are confident in our reporting of it,” a CNN spokeswoman said.
CNN declined to comment to The Hill regarding Trump Jr.’s tweet.
Trump on Saturday also weighed in on Davis’s admission.
“Michaels Cohen’s attorney clarified the record, saying his client does not know if President Trump knew about the Trump Tower meeting (out of which came nothing!),” Trump tweeted. “The answer is that I did NOT know about the meeting. Just another phony story by the Fake News Media!”
Bernstein, who gained notoriety for his groundbreaking reporting during the Watergate scandal, has claimed the July report is the “best evidence” of a “demonstrable” cover up.
Trump Jr.’s tweet also references the three CNN journalists who exited last summer following a retracted report that tied Scaramucci to a Russian investment bank.
Updated on Aug. 28 at 11:33 a.m.