Journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, known for exposing the Watergate case, say he used “evil instincts” to exploit a loophole in US law when former President Donald Trump accused him of election fraud in 2020.
The duo published a new preface to the book “All the President’s Men” on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the journalistic investigation that revealed the political scandal that led to the resignation of then US President Richard Nixon.
For them, Trump’s actions to question the American election exceeded “even Nixon’s imagination”, triggering a violent occupation of the Capitol.
Trump practices riot, accusing election fraud
In 1972, the offices of the Democratic National Committee in Washington were raided in the Watergate building complex; therefore it became the name of the biggest political scandal of the 20th century.
Five people trying to get documents from the crime scene were arrested, which caught the attention of two young journalists, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who worked for the Washington Post.
Upon further investigation, they uncovered evidence that Nixon was aware of an espionage operation in his favor in the election.
Journalists shared the information with the FBI. Two years later, the then-president resigned to avoid the impeachment process.
In their new foreword, published in full by the Post, Woodward and Bernstein say they believe with great conviction that “America will never again have a president who tramples on its national interests and undermines democracy by audaciously pursuing personal and political interests. Then Trump came.”
“Donald Trump has not only sought to destroy the electoral system with voter fraud and an unprecedented public threat to state election officials, but has also sought to prevent the peaceful delegation of power to his duly elected successor for the first time in American history.”
The journalist duo classifies this act as “evil instincts” because Trump, beyond even “Nixon’s imagination,” exploited a weakness of the electoral law against the state itself.
This, combined with the encouragement of his supporters to storm the Capitol on January 6, 2021, made Trump “the first president to incite rebellion” in the country.
“By legal definition, this is clearly insurrection – behavior, speech, or organization that incites people to revolt against the sovereign authority of the state.”
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For Bernstein, the level of crime in the White House during the Trump administration may have exceeded that of Nixon.
“Trump will not only be a criminal president like Nixon, he will be the first rebel president of the United States,” he said in an interview with CNN USA’s Trusted Sources program.
The journalist also highlighted other similarities between the two former presidents.
“Both crimes began by undermining free and fair elections, the most fundamental element of democracy.”
The effects of the Watergate case on the world
The British newspaper The Guardian, in a report on the impact of the Watergate case on the world, noted that half a century later the suffix “door” has become synonymous with a wide variety of scandals.
There was Sharpiegate, when Donald Trump showed a modified map with a black marker; Deflategate, Tom Brady’s allegations that the New England Patriots used empty soccer balls; and the newest party doorBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s social gatherings in defiance of the restrictions of the pandemic.
Former White House adviser John Dean, who helped topple the Nixon administration, spoke to the British newspaper about the parallels between Trump and the former president.
“During Watergate, I didn’t care at all about the country and the government, but from the day Trump was nominated, I was nauseous. I never got rid of him until he was gone,” Dean told the Guardian.
“Towards the end of his presidency, he discovered the enormous powers he had as president. Now he wants them. He knows he can hurt his enemies and help his friends.”
The former government official added that Nixon is a smart president who understands how government works and what the levers of power really are.
As such, Dean told the publication that he could not imagine Trump would comply with a Supreme Court order in a similar situation and force him to turn over the evidence against him.
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What Trump’s Election Fraud Allegations Teach Young Journalists
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein offered advice to young journalists when speaking to CNN’s Trusted Sources about the 50th anniversary of the Watergate trial.
Woodward recalled that when Nixon resigned in 1974, reporters received a letter from his then-editor, Katherine Graham.
“Don’t start thinking too much about yourself. You did really good things. But I want to give you an advice.
“Beware of the Evil Show”
For Woodward, 50 years later, this is still advice young journalists should heed.
Bernstein added that current reporters should follow the motto that guides the duo during their investigations into Nixon, which is to find “the best possible version of the truth.”
“This takes perseverance. Being a good listener is the most important decision reporters and editors have to make: What is news?”
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Watergate journalist wraps up Trump-era trilogy with details on voter fraud
Last year, Bob Woodward, along with his Washington Post colleague Robert Costa, completed a Trump-era trilogy in the US. The book Danger (“Danger” in the English translation) chronicles the republican’s final days as head of the largest military and political power on the planet.
The first pages of the book already reveal a phone call between China and the United States in mid-2021 that has done nothing more than avoid a war.
The case of General Mark Milley, part of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, illustrates just how tense the situation has become in the final chapter of the American election, as Trump ignites followers with his theory of election fraud.
Using information from 200 sources, Woodward and Costa reconstruct sections such as the section that allows the general to search for his Chinese counterpart to prevent the outbreak of an armed conflict, a real possibility at the time, according to intelligence data.
The disclosure of the book, published by the mainstream American press, forced the Pentagon to issue a statement confirming the truth and stating that “General Mark Milley was performing the functions of his office – without circumventing presidential mandate – speaking. with his colleague Chinese”.
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source: Noticias
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