Carl Bernstein, the veteran Washington Post journalist who reported on the Watergate scandal, said the indictments of 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities suggests “evidence of a conspiracy.”
Bernstein told CNN that although Trump has reiterated that “no collusion” occurred, Bernstein said that he believes special counsel Robert Mueller, who is spearheading the Russia probe, is a “straight shooter” who will be “upfront” if collusion between the campaign and the Kremlin becomes evident.
“We are seeing evidence of a conspiracy,” Bernstein said. “Who was witting, unwitting in that conspiracy, we don’t know yet. But Mueller’s indictments are pointing in a certain direction around people in the Trump orbit and family.”
Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein on special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe: “We are seeing evidence of a conspiracy. Who was witting, unwitting in that conspiracy, we don’t know yet. But Mueller's indictments are pointing in a certain direction” https://t.co/o6E0sevUUz pic.twitter.com/RXkCBug80R— CNN (@CNN) February 17, 2018
Mueller’s office on Friday revealed that the 13 Russian nationals were indicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Additionally, three defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and five were charged with aggravated identity theft.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing Mueller’s probe, announced Friday that the meddling started in May 2014 and that the Russian groups created posts, ads, and organized events on social media platforms by using names of Americans and other entities.
The ads primarily were primarily opposed to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, but at times were against President Trump. The indictment also does not suggest members of Trump’s campaign were wittingly involved with the scheme.
Mueller is investigating if collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin occurred during the 2016 election.
Trump has historically called Mueller’s probe a “witch hunt” and, in light of the Russian indictments, has continued to reiterate that “no collusion” ever happened.
“Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President,” Trump tweeted on Friday. “The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong — no collusion!”
