Lesley Stahl: '60 Minutes' anchor gets death threat from 'neo-Nazi' caller after Trump walked out of interview
After the bizarre '60 Minutes' interview, where President Donald Trump walked out in the middle of questioning, complaining of unfair questions, CBS anchor Lesley Stahl has received a death threat from an unknown source.
The network was forced to provide their star journalist with around-the-clock security after one of Stahl's immediate family members on the west coast received a death threat. Law enforcement sources told TMZ that the Los Angeles Police Department received a report of a death threat call around 9 am on Thursday, October 22. While the exact details of the call are not known, it was reported that the caller directed the threat toward Stahl and her family, and also mentioned neo-Nazis. As a result, guards are currently monitoring the homes of Stahl and her family members and escorting them if they go out in public.
The threat in question was made two days after news of Trump walking out midway during Stahl's interview got out. It was also made a few hours before Trump released the full interview ahead of Sunday's broadcast. When Vice President Mike Pence was grilled by Stahl later about why his running mate decided to leave abruptly, he chose not to answer the question and instead touted Trump's "passion" and spoke about how he was a man who preferred to speak his mind and put "America first." Stahl, on the other hand, accused Pence and Trump of insulting her show.
The video of the interview has since gone viral and has been seen by millions of people across the nation and the world. Trump, in the clip, appears visibly annoyed with journalist Stahl’s line of questioning, and the testy exchange between the two ends with the president concluding the discourse and walking off. The full video was aired on CBS days after Trump's refusal to sit through Stahl's questioning triggered a social media uproar. Trump, furious at being called 'weak', eventually released the entire section on his Facebook page on Thursday, October 22. "Look at the bias, hatred, and rudeness on behalf of 60 Minutes and CBS," he wrote while sharing the clip.
Trump's annoyance with Stahl was immediate as she began the interview by asking him: "Are you ready for some tough questions?" The president, mid-interview, brought it up before walking out. He told Stahl: "Excuse me, Lesley. You started with your first statement... are you ready for tough questions. That's no way to talk." He then pointed out how Democratic nominee Joe Biden gets "softball after softball." Trump said: "I've seen all his interviews, he's never been asked a question that's hard." When Lesly reminded the Republican that Biden was not the president, he was, Trump walked out of the set.
Stahl, in her introduction to Sunday's show, explained what had occurred, saying: "We had prepared to talk about the many issues and questions facing the president, but in what has become an all-too-public dust-up, the conversation was cut short. It began politely, but ended regrettably, contentiously."