White House statement reportedly went unused by CBS’ ’60 Minutes’ segment
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The White House sent CBS a notice of no-show for the delayed “60 Minutes” CECOT episode by network editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, in which she called on the show to amplify the Angel Parents’ storylines.
“When ’60 Minutes’ wrapped its ‘Inside CECOT’ report last Thursday, CBS sent a request for comment to the White House. A WH spokesperson responded within hours. The quote was not included in the ’60’ report, so decide for yourself whether it should be included,” CNN media analyst Brian Stelter said. wrote to x Tuesday.
“60 Minutes should spend its time and energy elevating the stories of Angel Parents, innocent American children tragically killed by nefarious illegal aliens,” White House press secretary Abigail Jackson said in a statement, according to Stelter. [sic] He is being removed from the country.”
CBS, BARI WEISS FACE MORE BACKGROUND FROM LIBERAL CRITICS OVER YANKING ’60 MINUTES’ SEGMENT
“60 Minutes” aired a segment titled “Inside CECOT” hours before it aired. (Screenshot/CBS News)
Fox News Digital has reached out to CBS and the White House for comment.
Hours before “Inside CECOT” aired Sunday, “60 Minutes” released a statement saying the episode had been postponed after “it was determined that it required additional reporting.” Reporter Sharyn Alfonsi appears in the episode, which was leaked online after airing in Canada. Venezuelan deportees who were sent to El Salvador’s maximum security prison after being deported by the Trump administration are interviewed.
Fox News Digital reported that CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss made the decision to postpone the episode after determining that although the interviews were “strong,” the story was ultimately “not moving the ball forward” and was “not ready.”
While this episode did not include a statement from the White House, it did include a clip of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the following about Venezuelan men deported in March: “These are disgusting monsters, rapists, murderers, kidnappers, sexual predators, predators who have no right to be in this country, and they must be held accountable.”
WHO IS SHARYN ALFONSI? ’60 MINUTES’ CORRESPONDENT ALLEGES POLITICAL INTERFERENCE IN HIS CECOT STORY
Sharyn Alfonsi (left) accused Bari Weiss (right) of withholding the “60 Minutes” story for political, not editorial, reasons. (Michele Crowe/CBS via Getty Images; Noam Galai/Getty Images for Free Press)
Alfonsi accused Weiss of twisting the story based on politics and suggested in a memo that management remained silent when he asked for an interview. However, the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the White House, reportedly sent on-the-record statements that are not included in this section.
“Our story has been shown five times and has been approved by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices,” Alfonsi wrote Monday. “It is actually true. In my view, withdrawing this decision now, after all stringent internal controls have been put in place, is a political decision, not an editorial decision.”
“If management’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to push a story, we have effectively given them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they deem inappropriate,” he added.
IT WAS REPORTED THAT BARI WEISS ‘SURPRISED’ THE ’60 MINUTES’ TEAM BY ASKING WHY HE THINKS THE COUNTRY IS ‘PROJECTIVE’: REPORT
The full episode aired in Canada via Canada’s Global TV app and quickly spread online on Monday. The video did not feature any sit-down interviews with Trump officials or administration statements beyond a short clip of Leavitt and another short clip of President Donald Trump praising El Salvador’s tough prison system.
The White House reportedly sent a statement criticizing “60 Minutes” for focusing on deportees at CECOT through Angel Parents. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Alfonsi noted on the “60 Minutes” program that the Ministry of Homeland Security rejected his request for an interview and forwarded the CECOT questions to the El Salvador government, but the government did not respond to this request.
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Fox News’ David Rutz contributed to this report.
