CBS News announced on Friday that it is changing its policy on editing interviews with top government officials after the network cut out a portion of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noemâs interview on âFace the Nation.â
Following her Aug. 31 interview, CBS News removed about 26 seconds of Noemâs remarks about alleged MS-13 member Kilmar Abrego Garcia, where she outlined his lengthy criminal past to justify her agencyâs efforts to remove him from the U.S. Although CBS News initially stated that the interview was edited to fit its allotted time slot, the network confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation that it decided to only broadcast âfull uneditedâ interviews going forward.
âIn response to audience feedback over the past week, we have implemented a new policy for greater transparency in our interviews. FACE THE NATION will now only broadcast live or live-to-tape interviews (subject to national security or legal restrictions). This extra measure means the television audience will see the full, unedited interview on CBS and we will continue our practice of posting full transcripts and the unedited video online,â CBS News said in a statement.
Noem accused CBS News on Sunday of having âshamefully editedâ her interview to âwhitewash the truthâ about Garcia, an individual whom many Democrats and members of the media have staunchly defended. The DHS secretary referred to Garcia as a âknown human smuggler, an MS-13 gang member, an individual who was a wife beater, and someone who was so perverted that he solicited nude photos from minors.â
Documents provided by Prince Georgeâs County Police Department detailed Garciaâs alleged gang name and rank, while other legal documents alleged that he smuggled illegal immigrants into the U.S. and that his own wife obtained a restraining order against him for allegedly beating her. Garcia illegally entered the U.S. in 2011 from El Salvador and has since been at the center of a highly contentious deportation case.
CBS Newsâ change followed their $36 million settlement with President Donald Trump after he accused them of deceptively editing a â60 Minutesâ interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris to bolster her chances in the 2024 election. As part of the settlement, the network dedicated around $16 million to fund Trumpâs future presidential library and agreed to release the written transcripts of future â60 Minutesâ interviews with presidential candidates.
The administration facilitated Garciaâs return in June for him to face human smuggling charges. After being released and then immediately taken back into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an Obama-appointed federal judge in Maryland blocked the administration from deporting Garcia on Aug. 26.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporterâs byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].