Catherine Herridge, the award-winning investigative journalist who was fired by CBS News, spilled all her thoughts to Tucker Carlson in a lengthy interview published Thursday.
Herridge previously accused her former employer, CBS, of “raping a journalist,” after the network seized all of her computers, records and files and blocked access to her emails after telling her she was being fired. [her] The lens was turned on President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.
“Have you ever felt like people at work didn't want you to do this?” Carlson asked.
“I have always tried to be respectful of my former employers, and I testified before Congress that there was tension over my Biden coverage, particularly when I focused on President Biden,” Herridge said.
“Oh, you didn't like it,” Carlson commented. “Sorry. It's, it's, I'm saying it. You don't have to say it. I'm not talking about CBS specifically. To me, it's so corrupt and totally ridiculous. Because it's not a reporter's job to interview politicians, is it? I'm just checking.” (Related: “I'm not trying to call you an idiot”: Tucker totally stumps reporter for just asking for a quote)
“Well, I like to think of myself as calling balls and strikes,” Herridge said. “People love to talk about the Hunter Biden coverage on CBS, but I'm also the reporter who got hold of the audio tape of President Trump supposedly bragging about the Iran dossier at Mar-a-Lago, and yet people don't talk about that.”
Carlson said it was “very clear” that CBS fired Herridge “before the election” because of the Hunter Biden laptop story. Herridge was commenting on Hunter Biden's reported attendance at White House meetings for his father's presidential and reelection campaigns.
“What stands out to me is that over the last few years, the White House has tried to distance the president from his son, especially on the business side, but now they seem to be really connected and very connected. I don't know about that individually, but they're wondering if their relationship really suddenly changed in that moment, or if it didn't. Or maybe it's always been that way. I don't know the answer to that,” Herridge said.
The former CBS News reporter also said he believes CBS could have broken the story about Hunter Biden's laptop “a lot sooner.”
“I want to pay tribute to my former employer and I believe there was an opportunity to take a lead on that matter sooner. I won't be going any further on that matter,” Mr Herridge said.
Herridge said it was CBS's “choice” whether she “would work there or not,” but said the seizure of her records was a “horrible line.”
Herridge's firing, via a Zoom call, was part of a larger round of layoffs that CBS implemented in February of about 800 staff members. She explained that her firing from CBS News was “completely different” than when she left other major media companies. While she didn't want to go into “all the details,” the investigative journalist said there had been “very heated exchanges” over the return of her records. (RELATED: 'It felt kind of dirty': Tucker Carlson reveals he was 'hounded' by Chris Cuomo)
Why CBS News fired Katherine Herridge and seized her reporting records — and how reporting law can save the country.
(1:19) Trump vs. Biden debate
(12:46) How has the newsroom changed?
(18:02) Journalists held captive by intelligence agencies
(24:06) The rise of independent news… pic.twitter.com/0fYKXp98wi— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) July 11, 2024
“When I left other major companies like ABC and Fox, it was a very different situation,” Herridge said. “I went through my materials and there was an understanding that I was basically taking my materials home and leaving what belonged to the company.”
“I heard from people at CBS that what was happening to me wasn't normal,” she continued. “One person in particular said that when they cleaned out their office, there were dirty coffee cups and sticky notes left behind. I mean, everything was back where it was.”
Herridge told Carlson that she lost her company health insurance, which was a “huge problem” for her because she has a son with a chronic illness.
“One of my sons asked me, 'Mom, are you going to jail?' I wanted to tell him that that wasn't possible in a country that says it values democracy and a strong press – it makes me a little queasy just thinking about it – but I couldn't guarantee him that,” Mr Herridge said.
