Brian Stelter welcomed veteran journalist Carl Bernstein on “Reliable Sources” yesterday, because reliable sources aren’t actually all that important to CNN.
During their chat, Bernstein dubbed Donald Trump “our own American war criminal”:
Carl Bernstein: "[Trump] is our own American war criminal of a kind we’ve never experienced before."
Brian Stelter: "You just said war criminal. What do you mean, war criminal?"
Bernstein: "I did." pic.twitter.com/ZK7OiLgfrG
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) July 25, 2021
Carl Bernstein did say “war criminal.” And he’s damn proud of it, too:
“It’s about a different kind of crime, in which the humanity of the people of the United States was relegated to the floor by the president of the United States, who uplifted only his own narrow political, financial and personal interests.” https://t.co/NqGxICtjwg
— Carl Bernstein (@carlbernstein) July 26, 2021
If Gen. Mark Milley is comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, well, that’s good enough for Carl. Donald Trump is Hitler, obviously. Definitely a war criminal.
Trump was/is a bizarre and divisive man but to compare him to Hitler and his employ of Ernst Roehm’s brown shirted murderous thugs reveals an ignorance of history on an epic scale. https://t.co/PYnIRP6ycL
— Darren Heath (@F1Photographer) July 26, 2021
They're trying to sell this like it's so crazy someone on CNN would say this about a president rather than the equivalent of a TV Sweeps stunt. It's about as shocking as the fifth time they did a midseason lesbian kiss on Ally McBeal. https://t.co/ckxxEXUMIz
— Noam Blum (@neontaster) July 25, 2021
Indeed. This sort of thing is pretty on-brand for Carl Bernstein.
What war did Trump commit war crimes in? Words have meanings, especially ones as loaded & serious as "war criminal". You don't have to like Trump – I sure didn't – but calling him a war criminal is ridiculous. It cheapens actual war crimes, which are a real problem! https://t.co/YkbnDSf4Sq
— Rational Policy 🇺🇲🇹🇼🇭🇰🇮🇱 (@ratlpolicy) July 25, 2021
Look, I’m as Never Trump as they come, but even I think this is irresponsible bluster from Bernstein. You lose all credibility when you go this over the top. 😑 https://t.co/9lGJoMPDKh
— Brian B. (@Pastaguy) July 26, 2021
This is moronic. Hyperbole makes you easy to ignore and buries your point. https://t.co/nMf2VojKJn
— Scott Paterno, Just a Guy (@ScottPaterno) July 26, 2021
Well, CNN is nothing if not easy for people to ignore:
Man, I can't imagine why Stelter's viewership is down when he keeps focusing on important topics like…bringing on a crazy person to complain about a president who's been out of office for 6 months. https://t.co/CNLrAPRZ8B
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) July 25, 2021
Carl Bernstein was careful to point out to Brian Stelter that he’s not a psychiatrist. But maybe Carl should look into seeing one.
Tell me you don't know what war crimes are without telling me you dont know what war crimes are https://t.co/XdGIMmDmyf
— Touch of Madness Creative (@MadnessTouch) July 25, 2021
Welcome to the current news media, where "war criminal" no longer holds any meaning at all. https://t.co/ATIu4ECzeb
— Oppose State Media Lies (@FakeNewsSiren) July 26, 2021
Apparently “journalism” no longer holds any meaning, either.
The media has absolutely broken these people into a thousand pieces. https://t.co/oNrNJSSpkF
— Eric Newbury (@newbury_eric) July 25, 2021
What a joke. Embarrassing. https://t.co/eWeczaLwvR
— Flurypd (@FluryPD) July 25, 2021
Real News, Mr. President.