Trump takes aim at Watergate scandal reporter Carl Bernstein

US President Donald Trump took aim at Carl Bernstein, one of the reporters who helped bring down Richard Nixon's presidency, accusing him of making up stories.

Bernstein and Bob Woodward led the Washington Post team that investigated the 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex, which eventually led back to the White House, prompting a scandal that forced Nixon to resign in 1974.

"Sloppy @carlbernstein, a man who lives in the past and thinks like a degenerate fool, making up story after story, is being laughed at all over the country!" Trump tweeted.

He also slammed CNN -- a frequent target of criticism from the president -- saying that the network "is being torn apart from within based on their being caught in a major lie and refusing to admit the mistake."