White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller is demanding the heads of CBS "60 Minutes" producers over a shelved segment on Trump administration deportations.
This controversy centers on CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss’s decision to delay a "60 Minutes" piece titled "Inside CECOT," which showcased interviews with Venezuelan deportees in a high-security prison in El Salvador, sparking accusations of political meddling and drawing sharp criticism from Miller.
This debacle raises serious questions about media accountability--if networks like CBS can’t be trusted to report without bias, are lawsuits and firings the only way to make sure they are held accountable?
Miller didn’t mince words during his appearance on "Jesse Watters Primetime" with guest host Charlie Hurt, calling for a complete purge at "60 Minutes."
"Every one of those producers at '60 Minutes' engaged in this revolt, fire them. Clean house," Miller declared, as reported on the show.
His frustration stems from what he sees as a biased attempt to paint a sympathetic picture of dangerous individuals, a narrative he believes undermines public safety and common sense.
The segment in question, "Inside CECOT," was slated to air on a Sunday broadcast but was abruptly pulled, with CBS citing the need for "additional reporting."
Reported by correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, the piece featured interviews with Venezuelan men deported to El Salvador’s maximum-security prison under Trump administration policies, with half of the 252 men reportedly having no criminal records.
Despite powerful interviews, Weiss determined the story wasn’t ready, noting it failed to push the narrative forward and lacked input from Trump officials to defend the deportation approach.
Alfonsi wasn’t buying Weiss’s reasoning, alleging the delay was less about editorial standards and more about political agendas.
"Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices. It is factually correct," Alfonsi wrote in a leaked memo to colleagues.
"In my view, pulling it now, after every rigorous internal check has been met, is not an editorial decision, it is a political one," she added, casting doubt on CBS’s commitment to unbiased journalism.
The leaked segment, which aired in Canada before being pulled in the U.S., notably lacked substantial input from Trump administration officials, showing only brief clips of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and President Donald Trump praising El Salvador’s prison system.
Despite statements provided by the White House, Department of Homeland Security, and State Department, none made it into the final cut, while Alfonsi noted that DHS declined an interview and El Salvador’s government failed to respond.
With Fox News Digital unable to get a response from CBS on Miller’s pointed remarks, one has to wonder if the network’s silence speaks louder than any segment ever could—perhaps it’s time for conservatives to demand transparency from media giants who seem all too eager to dodge the tough questions.
