CBS News ignited a firestorm Monday by publishing a report linking Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El‑Sayed to deleted 9/11‑related tweets, prompting fierce criticism from both the political left and the right.
Weiss’s Direct Role Sparks Outrage
Status News reported that CBS editor‑in‑chief Bari Weiss praised the story during the network’s daily editorial meeting and personally directed a headline change to highlight El‑Sayed’s deleted tweets about the September 11 attacks.
The original headline read “For Michigan Democrat Abdul El‑Sayed, Sept. 11 commemoration invites scrutiny of past remarks,” before Weiss’s team altered it to “Michigan Democrat Abdul El‑Sayed’s deleted tweets on Sept. 11 attacks invite scrutiny of past remarks.”
Weiss’s involvement was labeled a “scandal” by liberal outlet MeidasTouch, which called the episode a “major scandal for CBS.”
Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan condemned the network on X, stating that an “overt, hands‑on, undisguised Islamophobe” now leads a major American news organization.
Democratic strategist Dan Turrentine added that the episode “is not a good look whatsoever,” while Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin warned that CBS should be barred from hosting any debate featuring the candidate.
Conservative voices, however, dismissed the left’s reaction. National Review senior editor Charles C.W. Cooke asked, “So she’s the editor‑in‑chief?” while Fox News contributor Mollie Hemingway noted that “an editor does editing.”
GOP strategist Matt Whitlock mocked what he called “Bari Derangement Syndrome,” pointing out that El‑Sayed’s deleted posts were “newsworthy” given his surrogate’s 9/11 remarks.
CBS News declined to comment when approached by Fox News Digital, and a network source told the outlet that stories about deleted politician social‑media posts are “published all the time.”
El‑Sayed, confronted by a CBS reporter on the campaign trail, said, “What happened on 9/11 is a disaster. It was a terrible attack on our country,” and urged focus on protecting servicemen from unnecessary wars.
Joseph A. Wulfsohn, media reporter for Fox News Digital, can be reached at joseph.wulfsohn@fox.com.
