CBS News Editor Bari Weiss Faces Criticism Over Probe Into Senate Candidate’s Alleged Ties

CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss is facing scrutiny from the left for her decision to investigate potential connections between Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood. According to Semafor, Weiss encouraged CBS journalists to explore El-Sayed’s alleged sympathies towards the organization.

The report mentioned two anonymous CBS News employees who expressed dissatisfaction with Weiss’ directive. Such grievances from CBS staff to liberal media outlets are becoming common in the industry.

Bari Weiss’ Directive

The controversy emerged after CBS News reportedly did not significantly cover findings about El-Sayed’s family connections to the Muslim Brotherhood. Social media posts by El-Sayed’s half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi, mentioned familial ties to the group, despite El-Sayed’s denials of any connection.

Tim Graham, executive editor of NewsBusters, asserted that anonymous comments from CBS employees aim to damage Weiss’ reputation, reinforcing a perceived left-leaning bias. “She’s making them do difficult things,” Graham told Fox News Digital. He highlighted the difficulty staff seem to face when stories potentially unfavorable to Democrats arise.

Reactions to the Investigation

Weiss’ decision faced backlash from liberals, who criticized her leadership at CBS. Mehdi Hasan, founder of Zeteo and former MSNBC host, called her a right-leaning, pro-Israel figure unqualified to lead a national TV network. Jeet Heer from The Nation and activist Shaun King also voiced their dissatisfaction.

Abdelhadi’s past posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) referenced their family’s affiliations with the Muslim Brotherhood. Two of her posts from 2012 and 2013 highlighted this connection, raising questions given El-Sayed’s denials of any links during discussions with NBC’s Kristen Welker.

Abdul El-Sayed’s Response

During an interview with NBC’s Tom Llamas, El-Sayed reiterated his position of no ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. He emphasized his American upbringing and involvement in Michigan, questioning the relevance of past events in Egypt to his current candidacy.

El-Sayed also equated the scrutiny to the challenges faced by John F. Kennedy during his presidential campaign due to his Catholic background. He emphasized his commitment to truthfulness in response to Llamas’ questions.

For further coverage, follow Joseph Wulfsohn, Fox News Digital media reporter, on Twitter: @JosephWulfsohn.