What happened: CBS removed a planned 60 Minutes segment on CECOT hours before broadcast after editor Bari Weiss reportedly pulled the piece. The White House did respond to a CBS request for comment, but that reply was not included in the final package.
Aftermath: The full episode was later posted by Global TV and widely shared online. CNN reported the White House quote was received but omitted; the spokesperson urged the program to focus on victims represented by Angel Parents.
The White House provided a response to the planned 60 Minutes segment on CECOT — a Salvadoran prison at the center of reporting on recent deportations and indefinite detentions — but CBS did not include that comment after editor Bari Weiss pulled the report hours before broadcast.
The episode, scheduled to run on Sunday, had been set to include an in-depth look at CECOT and the Trump administration's policy of deporting migrants it alleges are linked to organized crime. Just over two hours before airtime, CBS issued a statement saying the report had been postponed; multiple outlets later reported that Weiss made the call to pull the piece. The decision prompted substantial internal and public criticism, with some staffers at CBS describing the move as administrative rather than editorial.
Weiss said the story needed voices from the Trump administration and that it did not "advance the ball" on the situation in El Salvador — suggesting the reporting did not add materially to existing coverage. CBS reporters, meanwhile, noted that the newsroom had attempted to contact several agencies for comment while producing the piece.
As 60 Minutes finalized the report, the network reached out to the White House for response. According to CNN's Brian Stelter, a White House spokesperson replied within hours, but CBS chose not to use the quote in the packaged segment.
White House Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson: "60 Minutes should spend their time and energy amplifying the stories of Angel Parents, whose innocent American children have tragically been murdered by vicious illegal aliens that President Trump are removing from the country."
On Monday evening the full report surfaced online after Global TV, a Canadian CBS affiliate, posted the episode including the CECOT segment. Viewers downloaded and redistributed the file widely across the internet, effectively making the original reporting available despite the network's postponement.
The episode's last-minute shelving has raised questions about internal editorial decision-making at CBS, the role of senior editors versus producers and reporters, and how newsrooms handle requests for comment from government sources. Critics argue that omitting the White House response deprived viewers of a relevant perspective; others maintain that the decision reflected valid editorial judgments about sourcing and balance.
CBS and those involved have provided differing accounts about outreach to government agencies and the reasons the segment did not air. The episode's online circulation means the reporting—and the omitted White House reply—are now part of the public record, leaving the network to address both the editorial controversy and the leaked distribution.
