CBS News’ “60 Minutes” aired an explosive exposé Sunday night revealing new details about the emerging pardon industry under the second Trump administration, and several critics were shocked that the segment managed to air under the leadership of CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss.
Using a fake pardon-seeker with hidden cameras, CBS News’ investigation found that Trump-connected brokers were charging clemency applicants fees reaching as high as $3 million to lobby for presidential pardons outside the traditional Justice Department (DOJ) review process, with “about 70%” of President Donald Trump’s second-term clemency actions bypassing DOJ vetting entirely.
“If this is the version that made it past Bari Weiss, how bad is the real story?” asked Joe Flood, a D.C.-based writer and photographer, in a social media post on X.
Weiss, who’s cozied up to billionaires in her ascent to CBS’ top leadership role, has faced scrutiny for her leadership at CBS News, including for the controversial firing of veteran broadcast journalist Scott Pelley. Weiss scrapped a “60 Minutes” report on the Trump administration incarcerating deportees in the infamous El Salvador prison known as CECOT, and was accused of pushing a false report targeting New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Given Weiss’ “MAGA-coded” reputation, the segment’s unflinching look at Trump’s pardon economy left a number of viewers surprised, many of whom called for action.
“Every single [pardon] needs to be revoked,” wrote prominent tech vlogger Zack Nelson in a social media post on X to his nearly 1 million followers.
Democratic strategist Ameshia Cross struck a more resigned tone in response to CBS News’ findings.
“With Trump everything is for sale…damn this administration continues to prove its corruption in plain sight,” Cross wrote in a social media post on X.
if this is the version that made it past Bari Weiss, how bad is the real story? https://t.co/NNp0QhQ6nb — Joe Flood (@joeflood) September 14, 2026
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