“Richard Nixon was nothing, in terms of lying, compared to what we have seen from Donald Trump.”

That's the view of one of America's most well-respected investigative journalists, Carl Bernstein, who exposed the Watergate scandal has said.

Bernstein, whose exposé forced Richard Nixon to resign the presidency rather than face impeachment for a string of illegal 'dirty tricks' and cover-ups, said: “Trump lives and thrives in a fact-free environment.

"No president, including Richard Nixon, has been so ignorant of fact and disdains fact in the way this president-elect does."

Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Show all 16 1 /16 Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump E Jean Carroll Author Carroll alleges that Trump pinned her against a wall and forced himself upon her in the changing rooms of a Manhattan department store in the mid-90s Getty Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Kristin Anderson Anderson alleges that Mr Trump touched her genitals while at a club in the early 1990s Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Jessica Leeds Leeds told the New York Times that Mr Trump groped her on an airplane in the 1980s BBC Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Natasha Stoynoff Stoynoff alleged that Mr Trump forcefully kissed her before an interview at his Mar-A-Lago estate in 2005 Everipedia Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Karena Virginia Virginia alleges Mr Trump groped her in 1998 outside of the US Open tennis tournament BBC News Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Temple Taggart Taggart claims Mr Trump gave her a kiss without consent during a rehearsal for a 1997 Miss USA pageant Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Summer Zervos The former Apprentice contestant alleged that Mr Trump kissed and groped her at a Beverly Hills hotel in 2007 Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Alva Johnson A former staffer for Trump's campaign, Johnson alleges that Trump forcibly tried to kiss her after a rally in August 2016 MSNBC Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Jennifer Murphy The former Apprentice contestant said Mr Trump "surprise kissed" her - but she said it did not bother her Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Jill Harth The makeup artist accused Mr Trump of "attempted rape" while in his daughter's room in 1997 Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Mindy McGillivray McGillivray alleges Mr Trump groped her at Mar-A-Lago in 2013 AP Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Rachel Crooks Crooks says that kissed her on the cheeks and mouth when she introduced herself to him in 2005 Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Mindy McGillivray McGillivray claims that Trump grabbed her backside at Mar-a-Lago in 2006 CNN Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Cassandra Searles The former Miss Washington alleges that Trump repeatedly grabbed her backside and invited her to his hotel room Getty Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Jessica Drake Drake claims that when she and two other women arrived to Trump's hotel room at his invitation, he arrived at the door in pyjamas and tightly hugged and kissed each of the woman without permission Getty Every woman to make sexual assault claims against Donald Trump Ninni Laaksonen The former Miss Finland claims that Trump squeezed her behind before they appeared together on the Late Show with David Letterman in 2006 EPA

Bernstein's work with partner Bob Woodward to expose illegal activity by the Nixon regime has been described as "the single greatest reporting effort of all time".

After being called to a bungled break-in at the Democratic Party headquarters in the Watergate office complex in June 1972, the pair discovered the Republican president's re-election committee had been wiretapping the Democratic office.

A laundered cheque led the reporters to a slush fund used to fund illicit campaign activities, and thus to Nixon himself. Attempts to sabotage the investigation, destroy evidence and intimidate defendants in the burglars' trial ultimately led to Nixon's resignation in August 1974.

While Nixon was famously forced to declare "I am not a crook" in the months before being driven out of office, President-elect Trump repeatedly pilloried his rival as 'Crooked' Hillary Clinton as he fought his way to the White House.

Donald Trump says he doesn't need daily intelligence briefings as President because he's 'smart'

Entire websites are dedicated to cataloging the untruths allegedly uttered by the billionaire tycoon during the campaign, with the Trump Lies site documenting 1,432 separate lies.