CBS News’ Jan Crawford Forced to Apologize After Bashing Democrat Online

CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford was forced to delete a social media post and apologize on Sunday (October 18) after she violated the network’s standards.

The post featured a clip of a heckler named Tommy interrupting Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed at a town hall meeting. “Will you disavow the Muslim Brotherhood?” Tommy asked, repeating a talking point used by Mike Rogers (R), El-Sayed’s opponent for the Michigan Senate seat.

In her now-deleted X post, Crawford wrote, “Tommy, thank you. I had to watch this twice to catch Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s nanosecond, ‘yeah, absolutely,’ response. His subsequent uninterrupted diatribe proving your exact point is the kind of spectacular self-own ppl only dream about triggering. Congrats.”

El-Sayed responded to the heckler, saying, “Sure. Yeah, absolutely. Why are you asking the question?”

It appears this tweet from CBS News correspondent Jan Crawford has been deleted. https://t.co/rmNCtqogDA

— Scott Nover (@ScottNover) October 18, 2026

“Well, because they’re a terrorist group,” Tommy answered, later adding that he asked because he hadn’t heard El-Sayed disavow them.

“You’re asking the question because implicitly you assume that I’ll have dual loyalties, right?” El-Sayed said. “You assume that somehow I wouldn’t disavow, or that I’ll have some higher order allegiance than the Constitution.”

Independent journalist Marisa Kabas later identified Tommy as the son of Timmy Teepell, a Republican strategist who worked for Congressman Bobby Jindal and helped Josh Hawley get elected Attorney General of Missouri in 2016.

Earlier, I tweeted a video from an Abdul El-Sayed town hall. I deleted that tweet because it was a violation of CBS News standards. I apologize.

— Jan Crawford (@JanCBS) October 18, 2026

Crawford received backlash after resharing the clip and deleted the post. She returned with a follow-up post, writing, “Earlier, I tweeted a video from an Abdul El-Sayed town hall. I deleted that tweet because it was a violation of CBS News standards. I apologize.”

“Jan Crawford is CBS News’ chief legal correspondent, not an opinion commentator. Pretty striking language from a broadcast network news journalist about a Democratic senate candidate on her public account,” wrote The Wrap’s A.J. Katz.

Author Bill Carter added, “Not sure what CBS News policies are abt launching diatribes abt political candidates. Hard to believe this would be acceptable on its face, but after learning the “voter” was a Repub plant, it REALLY looks bad.”

“Not sure what CBS News policies are abt launching diatribes abt political candidates,” wrote Zeteo News editor-in-chief Mehdi Hasan. “Hard to believe this would be acceptable on its face, but after learning the “voter” was a Repub plant, it REALLY looks bad.”

CNN political commentator Karen Finney directly called out Crawford after her apology, writing, “No Jan – you got caught red handed trying to help prop up a paid GOP operative who was there to spread false, racist lies about Abdul because he is Muslim. Shame on you.”