Fake News '60 Minutes' Breaks Format To Smear Trump Cabinet Nominees
Sunday evening, "60 Minutes" opened with a scathing rebuttal to President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet nominees. Host Scott Pelley began by saying "Some nominees appear to have no compelling qualifications other than loyalty to Trump."
Specifically, Pelley referenced the nominations of Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Without providing full context, Pelley referenced accusations that Gabbard is a Russian asset (she had sympathy for American hero Edward Snowden) and that Gaetz had sex with a minor.
He described Hegseth as having "no government experience" without acknowledging that he is a decorated Army Combat Veteran with two Bronze Stars, a Combat Infantryman’s Badge, and led two Veterans Advocacy organizations.
The host then implied that Trump only nominated RFK Jr. to America's largest public health body because he is a "skeptic of vaccinations."
Here's the full segment:
Scott Pelley has a right to his opinion, right? Well, that's the issue. "60 Minutes" is not an opinion program. CBS describes the show as a "news program that presents hard-hitting investigative reports, newsmaker interviews, and in-depth profiles."
Yet on Sunday, the program took a complete break from its format to besmirch Trump's cabinet picks as if it were an opening segment on CNN or MSNBC. Moreover, the show did not platform any diverse voices to defend the nominations.
"This is exactly why we rebuffed 60 Minutes for an interview during the campaign," Trump's White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote on X Sunday night.
"Their disgusting bias & unhinged "reporting" are out of touch with everyday Americans who voted for President Trump. 60 Minutes is an out-dated relic of the past. CANCEL!"
No, "60 Minutes" did not provide such commentary on Joe Biden nominees like Rachel Levine, Xavier Becerra, Merrick Garland, or Pete Buttigieg—each of whom had qualifications concerns themselves.
Karoline Leavitt, Trump's nominee for White House Press Secretary, also responded to the "60 Minutes monologue" on Sunday:
".@60Minutes slammed Pete Hegseth tonight for having "no government experience" NEWSFLASH: The Pentagon is full of people with decades of 'government experience' and they just failed their 7th audit in a row.
"The American people re-elected President Trump with a resounding mandate because they want drastic change. That’s why he’s choosing change-makers like Hegseth to join him in the Swamp. 60 Minutes doesn’t get it. They never will."
Questions about the show's credibility existed coming into the night, as the program had appeared to deceptively edit an October interview with Kamala Harris. CBS has refused to release the transcript of the full interview with Harris, despite pressure from Trump and reporters to do so.
"60 Minutes" was once a leading and principled news brand, a program Americans could trust for honesty and objectivity. Today, the program is yet another propaganda arm that proudly assists only the Democratic Party.
Luckily, the American people proved on election day they no longer buy the media's lies. So, brands like "60 Minutes" can keep lying. The impact will be minimal.