CBS News has really differentiated itself lately, and not in a good way. Fresh off an editing scandal involving "60 Minutes" and Vice President Kamala Harris, the left-wing broadcast network has now been caught red-handed deceptively editing an interview with House Speaker Mike Johnson.
SEE: '60 Minutes Has Some Explaining to Do After Eye-Opening Edits of Harris Interview
Appearing with Margaret Brennan on Sunday, Johnson was asked about allegations that aid money was not being effectively distributed in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene. In reality, he gave a detailed answer, including sharing what he had seen and been told on the ground. CBS News found that context inconvenient, though, and cut it out completely, leaving it to appear as if Johnson had offered no evidence for his claim. That wasn't the only example either. "Face the Nation" did this multiple times throughout the interview.
Luckily, Johnson's staff had a camera running on their end so they could prove what CBS News chose to cut out.
I recently traveled to NC and victims of Hurricane Helene told me nearly two weeks after landfall, the Biden-Harris Administration had STILL not provided them with all the resources they desperately needed.
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) October 15, 2024
But CBS selectively edited OUT ENTIRELY this first-hand perspective. pic.twitter.com/ZjO5LWdtsM
Here's the edited version:
BRENNAN: So that's a different accounting than this two percent that you say was distributed.
JOHNSON: Yeah, so they've obligated some funds, but they've only distributed two percent.
Here's what was cut out:
BRENNAN: So that's a different accounting than this two percent that you say was distributed.
JOHNSON: Yeah, so they've obligated some funds, but they've only distributed two percent, and when I was there on the ground, and you should go, bring the cameras and talk to those people there, and they'll tell you, don't take politicians' words for this or the administration's word, talk to people there on the ground. They have not been provided the resources almost two weeks out from the storm that they desperately needed.
When I was there, 13 days post the storm hitting that state, people were still being rescued. They're stuck in the higher elevations and the mountains because the roads are down and all the rest. They need every available resource and all hands on deck, the rescue and recovery efforts still going on, and then we address the rest of it.
It's obvious why CBS News did what they did here. They did not want Johnson to provide context about what was happening (and is still happening) on the ground because it would make Kamala Harris look bad. Recall that the vice president and her handlers put together a series of photo-ops following Hurricane Helene in which she asserted herself as leading the federal government's response. Editing out Johnson's answer made it seem as if his initial claim about funding was baseless while protecting Harris from any scrutiny.
Later, when election security came up, CBS News did the same thing, cutting out almost all of Johnson's answer to avoid any negative mentions of Harris.
Apparently, CBS also doesn't want you to hear about Virginia Gov. Youngkin, who is trying to clean the state's voter rolls so non-American citizens can't vote there.
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) October 15, 2024
We need more states doing this, but the Biden-Harris Administration is SUING VIRGINIA and trying to STOP it. pic.twitter.com/10JIJSNkPR
Here's the edited version:
BRENNAN: You know that it is against the law for non-citizens to vote in federal elections. That's established law.
JOHNSON: Of course, it is, but here's the problem. There's a number of states that are not requiring proof of citizenship when illegals or non-citizens register to vote. We know that's happening.
BRENNAN: But respectfully, Speaker...
JOHNSON: Everybody should want the law to be followed.
Here's what was cut out:
JOHNSON: Of course, it is, but here's the problem. There's a number of states that are not requiring proof of citizenship when illegals or non-citizens register to vote. We know that's happening. We know that's happening. Look, Glenn Youngkin in Virginia, I was going to say, he issued an executive order to clean up their voting rolls heading into their elections less than 30 days out, a couple of days ago. The Obama, I mean the Biden administration DOJ, the Biden-Harris administration sued the governor in the Commonwealth of Virginia to try to prevent them from cleaning up their voter rolls. See, that kind of thing creates a lot of doubts in the minds of the American people. Why would they do that? We want, everybody should want the law to be followed.
Again, it's clear what CBS News was doing here. The fact that the Biden-Harris DOJ is suing Virginia for cleaning up its voting rolls to ensure non-citizens aren't voting is not defensible. Further, stating that makes Brennan look bad because she was quick to use the Democrat talking point that non-citizen voting is already illegal. Sure, but enforcement matters, and if the federal government is going to stop states from ensuring illegal votes aren't cast, then something more is needed. That was Johnson's point, and without that context, it appeared as if the Speaker was making a baseless claim about the need for legislation in that area.
It'd be one thing if the entirety of the above exchanges were cut out for time. At least then, nothing is misconstrued. It's a completely different thing, though, to start chopping up individual answers and omitting key context. That's what CBS News is doing, but to hurt Republicans and help Harris. Enough is enough. It's time for the GOP to shun Margaret Brennan and her cohorts. These people do not deserve to be treated as credible sources of information.
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