Sen. JD Vance pushed back on the CBS News moderators who attempted to fact-check him in a contentious moment during the vice presidential debate on Tuesday.
Despite CBS announcing that it would not allow live fact-checking during the debate, moderator Margaret Brennan, interjected to correct Vance after he suggested that illegal immigrants are overwhelming resources in Springfield, Ohio.
“Just to clarify for our viewers, Springfield, Ohio does have a large number of Haitian migrants who have legal status, temporary protected status,” Brennan said.
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Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News, with Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
When Vance tried to push back on the fact-check, Brennan and her co-moderator Norah O’Donnell attempted to speak over Vance, insisting that they had to move on to the next question.
“The rules were that you guys weren’t going to fact-check,” Vance reminded them. “And since you are fact-checking me, I think it’s important to say what’s actually going on.”
While explaining the process of obtaining legal status and tying it to a Harris-backed immigration policy, the moderators again spoke over Vance, thanking him for “describing the legal process” before they cut off his microphone as Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz attempted to argue with him.
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“Senator, we have so much we have to get to, thank you so much for explaining the legal process,” Brennan said before urging O’Donnell again to move on to the next question.
“The audience can’t hear you because your mics are cut,” she added when Vance continued to respond.
Margaret Brennan Norah O’Donnell (Mary Kouw/CBS via Getty Images)
CBS News announced last week that it would not allow its moderators to partake in any fact checking or correcting live in an effort to avoid the fury sparked by ABC News for its partisan handling of the first presidential debate between former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Instead, the network offered viewers a QR code where their reporters are fact-checking the candidates’ remarks in real time on their website.
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CBS came under scrutiny ahead of the debate for its past coverage of Trump, with critics warning that Vance could enter a one-against-three political showdown after Trump was aggressively fact-checked during the ABC debate last month.
