CBS News correspondent Lesley Stahl was almost speechless after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene compared President Joe Biden and Democrats with pedophiles during the controversial 60 Minutes interview that aired on Sunday.
The network’s flagship news magazine has taken heavy fire over the weekend for interviewing the extremely controversial Republican congresswoman. Chief among criticisms was that this would be “platforming” and “normalizing” MTG’s “extremism.”
One example of the commentary described by such critics was when, almost exactly a year ago, Greene called Democrats “the party of pedophiles” in a Real America’s Voice interview.
Stahl brought that up in Sunday’s interview.
“The Democrats are ‘a party of pedophiles,’” she prompted.
“I would definitely say so,” Greene replied. “They support grooming children.”
Stahl objected, saying “They are not pedophiles. Why would you say that?”
“Democrats support– even Joe Biden, the President himself, supports children being sexualized and having transgender surgeries,” said Greene. “Sexualizing children is what pedophiles do to children.”
Stahl was quiet a moment before whispering, “wow.” After another extended pause, she added, “okay.”
Stahl then asked if such attacks and “name-calling” are necessary to “fight for what you believe in.”
Greene said she’d ask the same question of “the other side.”
“All they’ve done is call me names and insult me non-stop since I’ve been here,” said Greene.
The first moment from the interview shown on Sunday’s show was Stahl reading some of those insults and names aloud to Greene.
LESLEY STAHL: The Democrats are a party of pedophiles.
MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE: I would definitely say so. They support grooming children.
STAHL: They are not pedophiles. Why would you say that?
GREENE: Democrats, Democrats support– even Joe Biden, the President himself, supports children being sexualized and having transgender surgeries. Sexualizing children is what pedophiles do to children.
STAHL: Wow. Okay. But my question really is can’t you fight for what you believe in without all that name-calling and without the personal attacks?
GREENE: Well, I would ask the same question to the other side, because all they’ve done is call me names and insult me non-stop since I’ve been here, Lesley. They call me racist. They call me– sen– anti-Semitic, which is not true. I’m not calling anyone names. I’m calling out the truth basically-
STAHL: Pedophile?
GREENE: Pedophi– call it what it is.
