we also have carl bernstein standing by, jeffrey goldberg and much more. first, the question on everyone's mind, is it true, we've all been talking about this story. it's the buzzfeed story that came out thursday night that said president trump directed michael cohen to lie to congress. with a clear-cut impeachable offense being alleged, the story went everywhere within a matter of minutes. but then on friday night robert mueller did something incredibly rare. something his office almost never does. his office issued a lawyerly response seemingly knocking down the story saying buzzfeed's description description of specific statements to the special counsel's office and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office are not accurate. let's go back to the story. did the president tell cohen to lie? who's accurate? here for their first sitdown interview, anthony cormier and editor-in-chief ben smith. >> thank you for having us on. we're happy to talk about this story. i'm glad you began with the question of the truth of the allegations be

. >> you don't think mueller has suddenly decided -- >> i mean, carl bernstein is an icon. think he's a wonderful guy. i'm sure he is. but i don't ingmueller's operation. there's also a status conference in the gates case. now, if mueller is going to go forward on sentening gates, we're going to learn something about if he's getting closer. that's what i'm looking at tomorrow in addition to looking forward to spending time with you on the bar. >> we sure are going to do the latter. yes, robert? >> i was with bob woodward tonight and he made a point about how the luxury of time is the key to reporting. and that watergate took so long to unfold. it wasn't just the '72 break-in, it wasn't until august of '74 that goldwater and others in the republican party go to nixon and tell him he doesn't have the votes to survive an impeachment or a trial in the senate. so the only point i would say is there is an appetite to get the mueller report, but these things have to play out. tonight and he made a point about how the luxury of time is the key to reporting. and that watergate took

carl bernstein joins me live and we will take you to a town where people with a dangerous and important taking care of prison inmates now have to work for free. first steps! for moments that matter, tracfone keeps you connected, for less. can you send that to me? yeah. our new smartphone plan gives you talk text and data with unlimited carryover starting at $15 a month, no contract. all with nationwide coverage... tracfone. for moments that matter. and i don't add trup the years.s. but what i do count on... is boost® delicious boost® high protein nutritional drink has 20 grams of protein, along with 26 essential vitamins and minerals. boost® high protein. be up for life. ensure max protein... to give you the protein you need with less of the sugar you don't. (straining) i'll take that. (cheers) 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. ensure max protein. in two great flavors. about the colonial penn program. here to tell you if you're age 50 to 85 and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. what are the three p's? the three p's of life insurance on a fix

nobody knows it better than john dean and carl bernstein.one giving the signature nixon victory sign today. no coincidence. he knew that would be a photo that everybody used in reference. this is a man who has a bong shaped like richard nixon's head in his house, as far as i understand. i'm wondering what today surprised you or made you think about. >> when i think about today is how important it is that we get a real report from mr. mueller that tells us every aspect of his investigation, particularly surrounding the president of the united states, and how crucial it is that the american people hear from mueller everything that he knows about trump. stone is a bit player in the sense that he is a self-aggrandizer. but he is not a bit player, he is a huge player because of his proximity and relationship to the president of the united states as that one part of the indictment makes clear, if indeed it is the president, as preet was speculating, who was being referred to there. what we need to keep our eye on is the difference in watergate and

joining us again, carl bernstein, laura coates, and steve hall. with this report that president trump has gone to great lengths to conseal the details of his conversations with vladimir putin. we also don't know what was said between him where he confiscated the notes from the interpreter and told the interpreter not to say anything to other officials. what does that say to you? >> yeah. it's very concerning and not a good thing. you know, typically the way this works and i've prepared seniors and principals for meetings with presidents with people overseas. the whole team gets together because national security is a team sport. the quarterback can't do everything by himself. neither donald trump nor any other president republican or democrat that i've worked under is an expert on russia or anything else for that matter. so you get briefed up by your team beforehand. there are some strange circumstances which occasionally the principal would say i'd like to do this one-on-one. it does not happen often. and more rarely with the president. but inevi

as carl bernstein later explained on mpr. >> we had the story right, the substance of it. had wrong was the attribution. it had never come before a grand jury and the substance was important. and at the same time, we had not been diligent in nailing this down, this one aspect of it. >> and bob woodward will never forget what that felt like. >> this was one of the real dreary days of our reporting life. in fact, i don't think i've had one that bad, because it was just flat wrong. >> but the rest of woodward bernstein's reporting was right. and in the end, richard nixon chose to resign the presidency rather than face certain removal from office in an impeachment trial in the united states senate. joining us now, david corn, washington bureau chief from mother jones and msnbc political analyst. also, elizabeth drew, political journalist and author whose book about watergate is entitled, "washington journal, the events of 1973, '74." elizabeth drew, you were there. you read every one of these accounts as they were emerging in the "washington post" and other reporters' coverage

. >> nixon went after "the washington post," whose reporters bob woodward and carl bernstein led watergateunderstood that from now on ever, no reporter from "the washington post" is ever to be in the white house. is that clear? >> absolutely. >> none ever to be in. that is a total order. if necessary, i will fire you. don't? do you understand? >> i do understand. >> nixon hated the press. because it was digging into the very story he was desperate to hide. that the white house was deeply involved in the watergate cover up. his campaign seemed to work. early in his second term, nixon's approval rating soared, but then came the first crack in the white house defense. in the summer of 1973, all of america was riveted by the senate watergate hearings. >> what did the president know and when did he know it? >> as the country watched, white house counsel john dean turned on his president. >> i began by telling the president that there was a cancer growing on the presidency. >> dean testified that the watergate burglars were black mailing white house aides. >> the white house is being subject to

let's ask cnn political analyst carl bernstein, he is here with me in new york this morning. rl, i'm a little frustrated by how long this is all taking. i think rudy giuliani has a joint when he says, come on, let's see the evidence. at some point don't the american people deserve these answers sooner rather than later? >> i think you have to wait until the end of a very deliberative investigation that mueller is making and what we know and what that "washington post" story and "the new york times" stories show is that mueller is operating, as has been members of the president's own national security team, mattis, among others, some people who are still there, some who have left, that indeed he has become a pawn of the russians. now, whether that is a whiting pawn, a unwhiting pawn, a half whiting pawn, that is something that perhaps mueller's report will tell us because one of the things mueller is doing is he is looking at the obstruction, the obstruction of justice by the president of the united states, that seems to be apparent and whether the obstruction itself has furded

we also have carl bernstein standing by, jeffrey goldberg and much more. everyone's

. >> now carl bernstein, john dean and jeffrey toobin.the rosenstein departure, do you read into that that it's a sign the mueller investigation is coming toward an end? >> not really. i think you have a bunch of factors involved. it's been two years. that's a normal course for a new attorney general. a new attorney general does pick his own deputy as bill barr will probably be attorney general and there is probably a factor that mueller is certainly closer to the end than the beginning. i don't believe the stories that he's just about to be done. but you know, he could be done in six months. and i think the odds are even the trump administration would be reluctant to fire him at this point. we have the whole separate issue of disclosure of his report which will be whole separate controversy, but i think in terms of firing mueller, that risk is probably much diminished. >> "the washington post" tonight is reporting that the white house, the new white house counsel has recently hired 17 additional attorneys. apparently, basically gearing u

. >> betsy, back in the old days of watergate, carl bernstein and bob woodward made a mistake.hey had a piece of a story wrong but the heart of it was right. and this could well be another case like that. >> and i hate to speculate about a conversation that buzzfeed has characterized between the president and michael cohen that i don't have the ability to confirm or to prove as correct. one thing that is i think is important context as we talk about the story, is the actual nature of the statement that mueller's office put it. it has been interpreted in circles meaning mueller was trying to shoot down the entirety of the buzzfeed story, they were trying to say everything in the buzzfeed story is the opposite of what happened but my understanding that is not true. the statement is narrowly tailored and goes after one pivotal claim in the buzzfeed report and that is the oath thing it goes after -- >> what is the point. >> and the claim is mueller has documents and witness testimony showing that trump told cohen to lie. the only thing mueller said in that statement is that specifi