Tensions Rise at CBS as Pete Hegseth’s Invite Draws Backlash
Backlash Builds Over Pete Hegseth’s Press Dinner Invite Amid Ongoing Media Clashes
CBS News will be present at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 25. The black-tie event is an opportunity for politicians and White House officials to mingle with the members of the press. Among several respected guests, the network and its MAGA-curious boss, Bari Weiss, has reportedly invited Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. However, staff at the network are reportedly unhappy, considering Hegseth’s repeated attacks on press freedom.
According to The Daily Beast, a CBS News staffer spoke with Status and called the decision “deeply disappointing,” while another suggested that it was more about gaining access for Weiss and CBS, even if it came at the cost of the network’s journalists. Another disappointed executive from a rival network stated that Pete Hegseth’s invitation was a “slap in the face to the journalists at CBS News to invite the man leading the fight to unilaterally shut down press freedoms in this country.”
Pete Hegseth led the White House Governor’s Dinner earlier this year.
The executive further added, “Nothing says celebrating press freedoms like the man who won’t even let photographers in the room for fear they’d miss his good side.” While the backlash over Hegseth’s invitation mounts, Donald Trump is also set to attend the coveted event for the first time as president after previously boycotting it.
Meanwhile, HuffPost has confirmed that it will not join the dinner, as the outlet doesn’t want to associate itself with an administration that frequently attacks and mocks the press.
Pete Hegseth slams ABC reporter over his question.
A person familiar with the matter shared with the publication, “HuffPost refuses to celebrate journalism and laugh alongside an administration and president that regularly attacks the free press, weaponizes the FCC, and threatens to jail journalists.” It was most recently on Wednesday, April 8, that Hegseth snapped at an NBC News reporter during a press conference on the Iran conflict.
According to The Independent, Hegseth called on the Daily Caller correspondent to ask the next question before the NBC News reporter interrupted with her own question about “ballistic missiles” being fired by Iran. Angered by the interruption, the Defense Secretary said, “Excuse me. Why are you so rude? Just wait. I’m calling on people,” further adding, “So nasty” with a stern expression.
During the same conference, he also blasted “typical ABC” when a reporter asked him about the administration’s contradictory and often heated messaging around the Iran war. Hegseth said, “I try to be nice up here, but did you listen to what I said?”
Pete Hegseth snaps at a reporter during a recent conference.
Following weeks of conflict, the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire. During the conference, Hegseth said, “The Iranians humiliated and demoralized. We control their fate, not the other way around. That’s why they came to the table.”
He added, “Iran’s defeat is America’s retribution for every American lost to Iranian terror, especially those brave troops killed by Iranian-made roadside bombs in Iraq that my generation knows so well, and for the suffering their regime has inflicted around the world.” The Defense Secretary mentioned that there’s now a real opportunity to have a lasting agreement and move toward peace.