Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein joined CBS The Late Show host Stephen Colbert on Tuesday to reminiscence for four segments about the fall of Richard Nixon during Watergate and assuage Colbert’s fears about the future of democracy by citing their roles in that process.
The first two segments were full of comparisons between Nixon and Donald Trump as well as lamenting that today’s Republicans did not stand up to Trump in the way they did under Nixon. Naturally, the trio ignored the precedent Democrats set during the Clinton impeachment, but Colbert was still concerned about the future of democracy. In the third segment, he asked Woodward, “We're in another moment of great peril, as you say in your book Peril. What is your feeling about the future of this experiment we call American democracy?”
Woodward didn’t directly answer the question. Instead, he told an anecdote about how supposedly awesome the Washington Post was:
Well, first of all, I mean, during, 50 years ago, we had Katharine Graham, who was the publisher-owner of the Washington Post and I remember early on having lunch with her in her dining room at the Washington Post lunch and, you know, and we-- had this discussion, and I said, ‘We don't-- I don't know what's going to happen in Watergate.’ And she said, ‘When is the truth going to come out?’ And I said, ‘I need to be honest with you. Never.’ And she turned to me and she grabbed my arm and said, ‘Don't tell me never.’ Okay. ‘Get to work.’
Bernstein them chimed in to add his own story:
There's another aspect to Katharine Graham. A little while after this, the guard down at the door at the Washington Post called me and said there's a subpoena server here to get your notes from the Republican National Committee. And I said, ‘Well, keep them down there.’ And I went to Ben Bradlee, the great editor of the Washington Post, told him there was a subpoena server and he said, ‘Make sure he stays down there. I'm going to talk to Katharine.’ Went up to Katharine Graham’s office, came back down-- and I still get emotional when I talk about this-- came back downstairs, came over to my desk and said, ‘Katharine says they're not your notes. They're her notes. And if anybody is going to go to jail, it's going to be her.’ It's one of the great moments in journalism history.
The fourth and final segment included more stories from Watergate and is why the self-congratulations from Woodward and Bernstein falls flat. Two reporters still living off the “glory days” of 50 years ago believing that they are the ones holding the line in the fight to preserve democracy.
This segment was sponsored by McDonald’s.
Here is a transcript for the June 15 show:
CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
6/15/2022
12:16 AM ET
STEPHEN COLBERT: We're in another moment of great peril, as you say in your book Peril. What is your feeling about the future of this experiment we call American democracy?
BOB WOODWARD: Well, first of all, I mean, during, 50 years ago, we had Katharine Graham, who was the publisher-owner of the Washington Post and I remember early on having lunch with her in her dining room at the Washington Post lunch and, you know, and we-- had this discussion, and I said, "We don't-- I don't know what's going to happen in Watergate." And she said, "When is the truth going to come out?" And I said, "I need to be honest with you. Never." And she turned to me and she grabbed my arm and said, "Don't tell me never." Okay. "Get to work."
CARL BERNSTEIN: There's another aspect to Katharine Graham. A little while after this, the guard down at the door at the Washington Post called me and said there's a subpoena server here to get your notes from the Republican National Committee. And I said, "Well, keep them down there." And I went to Ben Bradlee, the great editor of the Washington Post, told him there was a subpoena server and he said, "Make sure he stays down there. I'm going to talk to Katharine." Went up to Katharine Graham’s office, came back down-- and I still get emotional when I talk about this-- came back downstairs, came over to my desk and said, " Katharine says they're not your notes. They're her notes. And if anybody is going to go to jail, it's going to be her." It's one of the great moments in journalism history.
