‘He wants this investigation stopped’: Bernstein breaks down Trump's end game if he leaked Sessions story

Rumors that President Donald Trump may have leaked the story about his own attorney general meeting with the Russian ambassador are shocking enough -- but one veteran journalist sees it as part of a larger conspiracy.

Discussing Friday's bombshell news, journalist Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame told CNN host Anderson Cooper that the prospect of Trump leaking the story himself appears to fulfill the larger purpose of giving him justification for firing Sessions -- and then firing Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller.

"The president can ask for this intelligence, and it would not surprise me if he did, particularly if he is intent on getting rid of Sessions," Bernstein said.

Nevertheless, Bernstein said, Sessions' firing would be a means to an end for Trump.

"He's intent on is getting rid of Mueller," Bernstein said. "That is his objective."

"He's doing everything he can to undermine him -- he would like to fire him," the veteran journalist continued. "And there is a possibility that this disclosure could give him the mechanism, as we're talking about... to do that through a combination of recess appointments and other mechanisms."

Bernstein went on to suggest that rather than simply getting rid of Sessions, this could be the first action in a longer endgame.

"That's his ultimate goal," he concluded. "He wants this investigation stopped. Yes, he's talking about pardons -- but he doesn't want to go there. He would like to end the investigation."

Watch Bernstein lay out the timeline for Trump's firing of Mueller below, via CNN.

'This is a cover up': Carl Bernstein nails...by sarahburris