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On Sunday night, CBS’ prime time edition of “60 Minutes” featured a piece critical of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his vaccination efforts in the state.
The show’s correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi provided details that Publix grocery store, who had partnered with the state to distribute vaccines, had also donated $100,000 to DeSantis’ 2022 reelection campaign.
A pay-for-play contribution that made it appear like Publix owners were shown favoritism by Florida officials. What ensued for DeSantis was the mainstream media trying to suggest he was involved in a scheme involving the COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
But not only did “60 Minutes” get it wrong, they showed their typical left-wing bias by going on full blown attack mode to try and drag another Republican official through the mud. The evidence present had very little substance other than money was paid from Publix to DeSantis’ PAC fund.
The story speaks for itself and the perspective was untrue. DeSantis had no “malicious intent” as the weekly magazine show would suggest. Although, viewers should know by now this is what CBS does to get ratings. The Florida Governor is the latest GOP official to be set up by the show’s deception.
It happened to then-President Trump back in October, and it also happened to me in 2014 while serving as Governor of North Carolina.
I had an encounter with Leslie Stahl and was treated unfairly. She used deception against me after I agreed to sit down for an interview to talk about Duke Energy and the coal ash spills in the Dan River. I was one of the few individuals with direct knowledge about the incident and I could explain from both sides having worked for Duke previously in my career.
Stahl’s gimmicks were clear as the cameras continued to roll. Take after take, she and the producers wanted their story told by asking the same questions over and over, but requiring different responses. A fixed production that took the truth out of context to create a storyline for their agenda. I remember being asked a question by Stahl and my answer was edited with a different answer on a yes or no question.
DeSantis was played by “60 Minutes” with the same deception. There was no fair and unbiased reporting on what happened in Florida. Instead, the show performed another GOP hit job to try and ruin DeSantis’ reputation in the process. It’s called desperation and creating a story from very little to spin the news cycle.
Unfortunately, once the story was out there people have already decided what they believe without doing research. DeSantis wasn’t working on any scheme to give preferential treatment to Publix. It was his best option while making an informed decision on behalf of Floridian. He used every resource he could to his advantage and that’s the mark of a good leader and someone who belongs in public service.
It’s like Winston Churchill once wrote, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.”
