Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich slammed “60 Minutes” anchor Scott Pelley on Fox Business Wednesday and accused him of souring a graduation ceremony with what he described as an ill-timed and self-serving speech.
Pelley used his May 20 commencement speech at Wake Forest University to denounce President Donald Trump, claiming institutions like journalism and higher education are “under attack,” even as CBS faces a lawsuit from Trump over alleged political bias in its coverage. During an appearance on “Kudlow,” Gingrich said Pelley likely felt self-righteous for what he framed as a defense of free speech, but added the speech was out of touch with the celebratory nature of the event.
“I went to my granddaughter’s and my grandson’s graduations over the last couple of years at Davidson. I thought to myself, ‘You know, you’re there with all the parents, the grandparents, the students. It’s a happy day. It’s a great moment. They’re graduating, and you get this guy comes in, and he dumps cold water and vinegar on the whole audience,’” Gingrich told host Larry Kudlow.
Gingrich also questioned Pelley’s journalistic integrity, calling him a “propagandist paid by CBS.”
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“I’m sure he felt really good about himself because he was heroically defending free speech. By the way, he works for 60 Minutes, which notoriously had edited a Kamala Harris interview, totally to the disadvantage of Trump,” Gingrich added.
CBS’s Bill Whitaker interviewed former Vice President Kamala Harris on Oct. 5, 2024, and raised concerns about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignoring the Biden administration. While a preview on “Face the Nation” showed Harris giving a lengthy response, “60 Minutes” aired a shortened version two days later.
Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News in October 2024, accusing the network of manipulating a “60 Minutes” interview with Harris to benefit her politically. He increased the lawsuit to $20 billion in February, alleging CBS deliberately omitted parts of what Harris said about Biden and his stance on Israel, all to influence the 2024 election.
The lawsuit triggered the resignation of Bill Owens, then-executive producer of “60 Minutes.” In response, Pelley accused CBS News and the parent company Paramount of “meddling” with staff autonomy by exerting new forms of editorial control over the program.
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