Carl Bernstein: Trump’s character may take US to ‘authoritarian place’

Published May 27, 2018 4:51pm ET



Veteran journalist Carl Bernstein questioned Sunday whether President Trump’s character will lead the U.S. down a road to authoritarianism as he repeatedly attacks special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election.

“I think we can look at a big picture now with some real definition, in which the perilous moment for our country right now, and it’s a question of whether lies, authoritarianism and the character of the president of the United States are going to take us to an authoritarian place where we have never been in which he will bury a duly constituted and legal investigation that will determine whether or not the president is above the rule of law,” Bernstein told CNN’s “Reliable Sources.”

Bernstein argued that Trump wants to bury the Russia investigation because Mueller has enough evidence to convince Americans that the president is laying out a “false narrative,” whether his actions were criminal or not.

During the interview, Bernstein pushed Congress, especially Republicans, to protect Mueller’s investigation so that ultimately Americans can judge for themselves “what happened with Donald Trump and foreign powers, and corruption.”

“That is what Donald Trump is trying to prevent,” he said.