‘60 Minutes’ Left Scrambling After Guests Get Spooked by Trump

https://www.thedailybeast.com/60-minutes-is-struggling-to-find-guests-who-arent-afraid-of-trump/?via=desktop&source=Reddit

31 comments

  1. From the article:

    ” CBS News’ flagship show is struggling to fill its guest seats with anyone willing to openly criticize Donald Trump—especially under its new MAGA-curious boss, Bari Weiss.

    The latest episode of 60 Minutes focused on Trump’s pardon of billionaire Chinese felon Changpeng Zhao—founder of the cryptocurrency giant Binance—a move critics have blasted as “corruption.”

    Zhao, whom the Justice Department accused of causing “significant harm to U.S. national security,” received a pardon months after Binance struck a $2 billion partnership deal with the Trump family’s crypto venture, World Liberty Financial.

    But while dozens of people directly involved with “all aspects” of the pardon spoke with CBS for the episode, journalist Scott Pelley said they refused to appear on camera—for the same reason.

    “We have talked to dozens of people who are involved in all aspects of this,” Pelley said. “And they have informed our reporting but have declined to sit down for an interview on 60 Minutes for fear of retribution.”

    One of the few people willing to speak on camera was Elizabeth Oyer, the former head of pardons at the Justice Department—and she wasn’t surprised by the hesitancy.

    “I am very worried, Scott, about the future of our country,” said Oyer, who was reportedly fired in March after refusing to sign off on a Trump administration request to restore gun rights to actor Mel Gibson, convicted of domestic battery.

    “This president appears to be selling off pieces of our democracy. And the presidential pardon power is a solemn instrument of the presidency that the founders of our country entrusted to the president with the idea that he would use it for the public good.”

    The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment. “

  3. He can’t frighten people forever, I guess. But we’re not rid of him yet.

  4. Trump could call any of them a traitor and they and their families would start getting death threats. Free delivered pizza too, though.

  5. Is this why all of the 60 Minutes advertising on NFL commercials yesterday was about chess-boxing? I kept thinking, “who gives a shit – why are they treating this like it’s super important?”

    Maybe they had to run the B-story as the A-story.

  6. This would be super weird if you expect a convicted felon accused of SA and raping kids not to spook people.

  8. > The reluctance of potential sources comes as CBS News attempts to rebrand itself with the controversial appointment of conservative commentator Weiss as editor-in-chief—a move by Trump-friendly CBS CEO David Ellison that many saw as a capitulation to the White House.

    > In October, billionaire David Ellison’s Skydance—backed by his father, Oracle founder and Trump ally Larry Ellison—acquired The Free Press for $150 million. Since then, Weiss has axed a series of shows and fired dozens of staff.

    Bari Weiss is creating a journalism department at her new University of Austin to use as a right-wing feeder to news organizations purchased by MAGA billionaires. Yass just pumped $100M into its endowment fund. It is going to be the “Hillsdale College of the Southwest.”

    Oliver has a good piece on Weiss:

    YouTube – [Bari Weiss: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gieTx_P6INQ) (Oct 2025)

  9. I could tell they were scrambling when the shows focus was chess boxing the other night lol

  11. Funny how selling out your reputation affects your business model.

  12. This country is getting as bad as Trump’s crappy makeup job.

  13. They let Trump win. Why would anyone want to appear for that?

  15. who would want to go on what’s now just regime television? It’s really depressing but that’s where we’re at

  17. The legal system needs to stand up. We need to have a national strike bring him and his thugs to their knees.

  18. 60 Minutes???? I remember the old Mike Wallace/Morley Safer TV show. That program got canceled a few months ago. IIRC, CBS traded all of their journalistic integrity and cash for a corporate merger. Are they now showing reruns?

  20. This is in theory why the first amendment exists but the Republican Party no longer stands up for democracy

  22. Maybe if they didn’t fold early on, others would be willing to take a chance on them.

  24. They say the president makes pardon decisions with the utmost seriousness unlike the auto pen president and then when asked about the crypto criminal he pardons, he says he never heard of him. It’s unreal how unserious this whole administration is.

  26. Good. Real journalists don’t suck a President’s dick for access.

  27. Who is scared of the frail orange pedophile who statistically may not make it till Christmas?

  29. Bari Weiss is a cancer and everyone should be aware of who she is and what she’s about. Controlling the narrative is going to be the last hurdle for Trump. He already has ABC and NBC terrified. He owns FOX News and now CBS. We truly can’t trust CBS News anymore because of Ellison and Weiss. Weiss is a horrible person and their hate isn’t subtle, we know what she’s about.

  30. Hey CBS I am available if you need someone with an actual spine who will ask this pig real questions

  31. Time to wrap up 60 Minutes. They’re running roughly 59 minutes of worthless crap in each show these days.

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