CBS News is once again at the center of a self-inflicted editorial practices firestorm, after excising significant portions of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s response to a question regarding “Maryland Dad” Kilmar Abrego García. CBS’s latest cooked interview left a recitation of the allegations against Abrego García on the cutting room floor.
Watch the question and answer on Abrego García that aired on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday, August 31st, 2025, with the portion that CBS cut out clearly labeled, and with the deleted portion rendered in italics in the below transcript:
ED O'KEEFE: One of the most high profile examples of someone who's been rounded up by ICE in recent months is Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and the fate of his situation is still up in the air. He's awaiting trial on human smuggling charges set for January in Tennessee, but your department is also working to get him deported to Uganda. If he broke the law in this country, as the administration alleges, shouldn't he be held here and face charges here instead of being deported?
KRISTI NOEM: Well, prosecution decisions are always made by the Department of Justice and in Pam Bondi's department, so we will let them do that. Although this individual does have criminal charges pending. He has charges pending against him civilly as well, and the one thing that we will continue to do is to make sure that he doesn't walk free in the United States of America.
(PORTION OF NOEM’S RESPONSE EXCISED FROM BROADCAST): This individual was a known human smuggler, MS-13 gang member, an individual who was a wife beater and someone who was so perverted that he solicited nude photos from minors and even his fellow human traffickers told him to knock it off. He was so sick in what he was doing and how he was treating small children, so he needs to never be in the United States of America, and our administration is making sure we're doing all that we can to bring him to justice.*
O'KEEFE: But I heard you say that we're going to let the Justice Department do that. Does this mean that- does this mean that- does that mean the push to deport him to Uganda is off?
NOEM: Oh, we will still continue to pursue all options. We will make sure that he's not released into this country. So regardless of that, yes, absolutely, he's not an American citizen, and he shouldn't be here, and especially because of his dangerous criminal activities, we should ensure that we leave every avenue on the table.
O'KEEFE: Got it.
