White House statement reportedly not used by CBS ’60 Minutes’ segment

THE White House sent CBS a statement she did not use for the CECOT “60 Minutes” segment that was delayed by network editor Bari Weiss, in which she called on the show to amplify the Angel Parents’ stories.

“As ’60 Minutes’ was finalizing 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 judge for yourself whether it should have been included,” Brian Stelter, CNN media analyst. written the Tuesday.

The statement from White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson read: according to the New York Times“60 Minutes should dedicate its time and energy to amplifying the stories of the Angel Parents, whose innocent American children were tragically murdered by the vicious illegal aliens that President Trump is. [sic] leave the country. »

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Fox News Digital has contacted CBS and the White House for comment.

A few hours before the broadcast of “Inside CECOT” on Sunday, “60 Minutes” published a press release saying that the the segment was late after it was “determined that additional reporting was required.” The segment, which was leaked online after it aired in Canada, features correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi. interviewing Venezuelan deportees who were sent to El Salvador’s maximum security prison after being deported by the Trump administration.

Fox News Digital reported that CBS News editor Bari Weiss made the decision to delay the segment after determining that while the interviews were “powerful,” the story ultimately did not “move the ball forward” and “wasn’t ready“.

Although the segment omitted the White House statement, it included a clip of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying in March about the deported Venezuelan men: “They are heinous monsters, rapists, murderers, kidnappers, sexual assaulters, predators, who have no right to be in this country and they need to be held accountable.” »

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Alfonsi accused Weiss to base the story on political considerations and suggested in a memo that the administration had remained silent when requesting interviews. However, it was reported that the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the White House, sent official statements that were not included in the segment.

“Our story has been reviewed five times and approved by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices,” Alfonsi wrote Monday. “This is factually correct. In my opinion, removing it now, after all rigorous internal checks have been carried out, is not an editorial decision, it is a political decision.”

“If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to publish a story, we have effectively given them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find embarrassing,” she added.

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The complete part broadcast in Canada via Canada’s Global TV app and quickly streamed online on Monday. The video did not include any interviews with Trump officials or any statements from the administration beyond the brief clip of Leavitt and another short clip of President Donald Trump praising El Salvador’s harsh prison system.

Alfonsi noted on “60 Minutes” that the Department of Homeland Security declined an interview request and referred CECOT’s questions to the Salvadoran government, which did not respond to his request.

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Fox News’ David Rutz contributed to this report.