1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to take immediate action to protect press freedom and investigate the troubling censorship at CBS News. On December 21, 2025, CBS withdrew a scheduled 60 Minutes segment titled "Inside CECOT" just hours before broadcast. This decision represents a dangerous erosion of independent journalism that demands congressional oversight. The pulled segment, reported by veteran correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, was set to feature interviews with Venezuelan migrants deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison by the Trump administration. These now-released deportees described brutal and torturous conditions at the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism, where inmates reportedly never see daylight. A November 2025 Human Rights Watch report documented constant abuse by guards against 40 Venezuelan prisoners, many of whom had not been convicted of any crimes. According to multiple news outlets including The New York Times, NPR, and CNN, Alfonsi sent an email to colleagues stating the decision to pull the segment "is not an editorial decision, it is a political one." This allegation is particularly concerning given recent corporate changes at CBS. In August 2024, David Ellison, son of Trump ally Larry Ellison, became Paramount CEO. In July 2025, Paramount paid Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit over a 60 Minutes segment he claimed favored Kamala Harris. The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia illustrates why this reporting matters. This Maryland resident was deported to CECOT on March 15, 2025, despite having legal protection to remain in the United States. He was released on December 11 only after U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled the Trump administration had no legal basis to expel him. I urge you to hold hearings on press freedom and corporate influence over news coverage, investigate whether political pressure influenced CBS's decision, and support legislation protecting journalists from corporate censorship. The American people deserve to see this reporting and understand what is being done in their name.