U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Monday accused CBS of running cover for the Biden-Harris administration over its perceived mishandling of recovery efforts in North Carolina which bore the brunt of Hurricane Helene’s wrath two weeks ago.
Johnson, a Republican, was telecast opposite “Face the Nation” anchor Margaret Brennan in footage that aired Sunday as she challenged him to describe the administration’s “different accounting” of resource allocations by FEMA to state authorities and residents left homeless or stranded.
In his answer, Johnson described meeting firsthand with North Carolina residents who pleaded for his help and said Biden-Harris officials had not provided them with the $750 in maximum cash support that the president publicly stated was available to all.
But that wasn’t the answer CBS chose to air.
On X, Johnson released what appears to be his own, off-screen recording of his answers in the interview, including one that talks about his visit to the state.
He contrasted that with the aired clip which cuts out his entire description of on-the-ground recovery efforts.
“They’ve obligated some funds, but they’ve only distributed two percent.
“The rescue and recovery effort is still going on, and then we address the rest of it.”
In his full, unedited answer, the Louisiana congressman spoke passionately about the men and women who feel left in a lurch by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“When I was there on the ground, and you should go, bring the camera and talk to the people there and they’ll tell you. Don’t take politicians’ words for this or the administration’s word for this. Talk to people there on the ground, they have not been provided the resources almost two weeks out from the storm that they desperately needed. And when I was there thirteen days post the storm [hitting], people are still being rescued. They’re still stuck in the mountains because all the roads are down and all the rest. So they need every available resource and all hands on deck.”
His final sentence is the one CBS chose to air, leaving the rest out.
Watch:
I recently traveled to NC and victims of Hurricane Helene told me nearly two weeks after landfall, the Biden-Harris Administration had STILL not provided them with all the resources they desperately needed.
But CBS selectively edited OUT ENTIRELY this first-hand perspective. pic.twitter.com/ZjO5LWdtsM
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) October 15, 2024
Speaker Johnson tossed gasoline on the roiling firestorm over whether the media is exceptionally fawning in its coverage of Vice President Harris, as when President Trump accused CBS’ “60 Minutes” of editing her answers in a recent interview in an attempt to make her appear more poised and coherent.
After avoiding giving any unscripted media appearance for the first month of her presidential campaign, Harris ultimately agreed to a major interview but requested that running mate Tim Walz join her.
CBS is also in the crosshairs of the Ellison family, the owners of Skydance, which is closing in on a purchase of the network as part of a $28 billion deal.
Sources close to David Ellison and his father, billionaire mogul Larry Ellison, say the two have grown disgusted with the network’s “woke” corporate policies and warped media coverage, citing the recent reprimanding of a Jewish journalist who challenged an anti-Israel author about his writings and statements in an interview.
Those who know the father-son duo best say they are readying to “blow the place up” and redirect CBS back toward unbiased news gathering.
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