’60 Minutes’: Scott Pelley Interviews Fierce Trump Critic Over ICE Killings

Scott Pelley
60 Minutes YouTube

What To Know

  • On 60 Minutes, Scott Pelley interviewed Sen. Rand Paul about the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents, with Paul disputing claims that the victims were threats to law enforcement.
  • Paul criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other officials for labeling the victims as domestic terrorists without evidence.
  • The episode aired amid reports of internal changes at CBS News, with speculation that 60 Minutes correspondents Pelley and Sharyn Alfonsi may lose their positions as part of a network shakeup.

Despite changes at CBS News and claims of the network trying to appease the President, 60 Minutes isn’t ready yet to let the Trump administration off the hook.

On Sunday’s (February 1) edition of the long-running news program, host Scott Pelley sat down with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to discuss the ongoing situation in Minneapolis. Pelley asked Paul about the deaths of U.S citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, who were fatally shot by ICE agents in two separate incidents last month.

Rand, who will host a public hearing in Minneapolis later this month, told Pelley he watched the video of Pretti’s killing “again and again” and “saw no evidence” that the man was a threat to the federal officers.

“I saw a man that was retreating,” Paul said, per Mediaite. “I mean, he went to the middle of the street. He didn’t even obstruct traffic. He let a car go through. As the agents advanced on him, he retreated to the side of the street. A woman is violently pushed to the ground, and he turns to help her, and that’s when he is grabbed from behind. I saw no evidence of him assaulting the police.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem previously referred to Pretti as a “domestic terrorist” who intended to “kill law enforcement.” She made similar claims about Good.

Pelley asked Paul if Noem should be fired for her statements, to which Paul replied, “I think we have to get through our hearing February 12, and I think we have to see what the people who work for her say.”

Paul then shared some advice for those coming to testify, saying, “If you come in and you’re going to justify that this man was aggressively assaulting your police officers, that cannot be acceptable, and that’s why they’re lacking in trust.”

He also took aim at Border Patrol officer Greg Bovino, FBI Director Kash Patel, and White House advisor Stephen Miller, saying they used “terrible judgment” when they referred to Good and Pretti as domestic terrorists and assassins.

“I mean, terrible conclusions, incorrect conclusions, stating things that no one else believes,” Paul went on. “You can lie to your heart’s content if there’s no video, but the video doesn’t support what they’re saying.”

“You seem to be saying trust is broken?” Pelley asked.

Paul replied, “Without question.”

The latest episode comes just days after it was reported that Pelley and fellow 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi are at risk of losing their jobs. According to the New York Post, sources familiar with the matter claim that CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss is looking to shake up the long-running news program, which has been airing since 1968.

60 Minutes, Sundays, 7/6 c, CBS