Whistleblower's Attorneys Blow Whistle on ‘60 Minutes' for 'Literally Making Stuff Up'
CBS couldn’t have expected this.
When the news program “60 Minutes” aired coverage of the White House whistleblower controversy on Sunday, it was almost laughably slanted in favor of the Democratic side.
So, the network had to be looking for gripes from the right, but a key claim made at the top of the story had “60 Minutes” under fire from attorneys for the anonymous whistleblower – who weren’t shy about attacking that venerated institution of liberal bias.
In a Twitter post late Sunday, whistleblower attorney Mark Zaid specifically denied a “60 Minutes” claim that the whistleblower is “under federal protection because he or she fears for their safety.”
“NEWS ALERT: 60 Minutes completely misinterpreted the contents of our letter,” Zaid wrote.
NEWS ALERT: 60 Minutes completely misinterpreted contents of our letter, which is now published online at https://t.co/HjmBrEQLEi. Nor have we, as we stated earlier today, reached any agreement with Congress on contact with the whistleblower. Discussions remain ongoing. https://t.co/3XSwmtuRrn
— Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) September 30, 2019
True to arrogant form, CBS tweeted a one-sentence reply: “60 Minutes stands by its sources and reporting on the whistleblower.”
And that brought a much angrier riposte.
In his original tweet, Zaid merely accused the show of misinterpreting the situation.
In the second, he upped the ante to accuse “60 Minutes” of “literally making stuff up.”
Is @60Minutes now asserting it has a source other than letter our legal team sent to @ODNIgov?
Because if it doesn’t, and I know it doesn’t, then it is literally making stuff up. That helps no one, especially the #whistleblower.
The media should always accurately report facts. https://t.co/aRRgzHpVAG
— Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) September 30, 2019
Here’s the segment at issue:
The “60 Minutes” report didn’t specifically identify the letter it claimed to have “obtained,” but the first letter embedded in its report was one from the whistleblower’s attorneys to Joseph Maguire, acting director of national intelligence.
That letter was signed by lead attorney, Andrew Bakaj, and while it did discuss security concerns, it in no way indicated anyone was under “federal protection.”
So, unless “60 Minutes” is talking about another letter, it looks like the program has a big helping of egg on its face.
And it wasn’t getting much support on social media.
So, CBS lied. Kind of a dog bites man story…
— Mark Noonan (@Mark_E_Noonan) September 30, 2019
Notice the errors always go in one direction.
— ???? ??????? (@RealKyle_Morgan) September 30, 2019
Is anyone reading this surprised at this point?
Anyone? I literally expect the mainstream media to lie at this point. And that’s sad.
— random thoughts (@musings_n) September 30, 2019
Great work, guys! You continue to astound with your incompetence ?
— SilverFox409 (@cchatley55) September 30, 2019
That last one is probably exactly the kind of reaction CBS would have expected from the right.
Any broadcast that treats House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff as though he’s a trustworthy source has to know its going to be distrusted by conservatives — and sane people in general. (This is a topic that could lead to the impeachment of the president of the United States, remember. A little honesty is in order.)
But a blistering attack on its competence from the left – from the alleged whistleblower’s own attorneys – can’t have been in the playbook.
If CBS doesn’t have more documentation than the rest of us, if the attorneys’ letter is all “60 Minutes” has, then the show doesn’t just look bad.
It looks dishonest and utterly inept — to the left and to the right.
And that’s the kind of reaction CBS could not have been expecting.
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