As the Democrats - and the journalism industry - grapple with the proven decline of President Joe Biden, it seems daily now we get a bigger glimpse into the breadth of the relationship between our press and the party. 

It admittedly provides a fine level of entertainment; The Dems trying to figure out what to do, and the press trying to figure out how to recover.

With this Biden Conundrum still unfolding, we were given a new dose of evidence of how deep this enterprise has been to shield from the public the condition of President Silveralert. 

On Anderson Cooper 360, the host had on famed Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein. The legendary newsman informed the Vanderbilt scion that he had some gripping inside information about the reality of Foggy Joe’s condition. Referencing both staffers and financial backers, Bernstein details that Joe’s decline has been recognized for some time.

"The Joe Biden we saw the other was not a one-off. There have been 15, 20 occasions in the last year and a half when the president has appeared somewhat as he did in that horror show, uh, that we witnessed. And what is significant is the people that this is coming from, and also how many people around the president are aware of such incidents - including some reporters incidently, who have witnessed some of them."

While rather significant, this smacks as something far lesser than Watergate; not on the level of impact, but in the reporting. This is not a case of dogged journalist Carl Bernstein delving deep to dig up a story, it feels more like a dead bird being dropped into his lap. 

Covering this a year ago would have been impactful. This feels more along the lines of Bernstein distancing himself from being seen as one who was hiding this information, so he presents this “revelation” as something he has been hearing in the wake of the debate. But at the same time, he is citing highly placed sources, so how would he have missed these specifics over at least the last 18 months?

Legendary journalist @carlbernstein joins Anderson with new reporting on the concerns people close to President Biden have had about his health. pic.twitter.com/sKbX1qzEtO

— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) July 2, 2024

What Carl is attempting here is to maneuver to get out in front of a mushrooming storyline, to position himself as one exposing more pertinent facts. Instead what he is doing is impugning the operation of the D.C. political class. 

This is not a sterling investigation, this is an indictment. It feels close to what was witnessed when the Harvey Weinstein rape allegations came out. Initial reactions at the time were that his behavior had long been an open secret in Hollywood, and the way Bernstein presents things here it seems to be the case in D.C. regarding Biden’s diminishing condition.

What Bernstein is revealing here is a coordinated effort to bury the truth about Joe Biden, one involving the White House, the Democratic Party, the expansive donor class, and - as we have already seen becoming exposed - the journalism industry. How many of those reporters who had witnessed these episodes with Biden spoke up in recent weeks as the journalism sector was in concert in telling us the videos displaying these very episodes were “fake”? The answer appears to be zero.

Cooper next asked the famed newsman about the time spent with the president in the debate prep, if he had any insight into the impressions of those who were coaching Biden in the days ahead of what Bernstein called a horror show. 

“The debate prep was supervised by Ron Klain,” the veteran reporter said. “People I’ve talked to have all been to Ron Klain in the last year to say ‘We have a problem! We have a problem such as we’ve seen the other night.’ - that there were numerous instances where the president has lost his train of thought, uh, can’t pick it up again…” 

So there it is - the White House inner circle was not only keenly aware of the issue of Biden’s faculties, but they were fielding concerns from others in the administration. Bernstein includes the First Family (read: “Jill”) in this effort to “push back” against those showing concern. Those closest to the president have been working to hide this mounting problem, and many, beyond just those in the administration, have been complicit in what is a cover-up.

So yes, count Bernstein among those who have played along with this plan to keep this reality from getting out. If his expansive sourcing has been aware of Biden’s condition for as long as a year and a half, how is it the man who worked to expose the corruption of the Nixon administration missed what so many in the Capital had been whispering about in that time?

These revelations from Bernstein - what are actually confirmations - go further in exposing the damaged nature of the press in this country. The industry charged with holding the government accountable continues to be shown instead to be holding up screens to keep the truth from getting out.