‘60 Minutes’ segment controversially spiked by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss finally airs

CBS News finally aired its 60 Minutes exposé on a brutal prison in Latin America, nearly one month after the network’s editor-in-chief Bari Weiss made the extraordinary decision to pull the segment.

The story, which broadcast shortly after 7 p.m. ET Sunday, examines the conditions within a maximum security prison in El Salvador, known as CECOT, which has faced serious and repeated accusations of human rights abuses.

It features exclusive interviews with two Venezuelan men who describe the torturous conditions they endured after they were deported to the prison early last year by Donald Trump’s administration.

In March of last year, more than 200 Venezuelan men were deported to the prison — the largest in Latin America — under the president’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act, despite federal court orders that blocked the flights and ordered their returns. By July, most of those detainees were released to their home country as part of a U.S.-Venezuela prisoner swap after spending months in lock-up.

The segment features an updated introduction, in which correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi notes that the Trump administration carried out a military operation in Venezuela in early January, leading to the capture of deposed leader Nicolas Maduro. The story was allegedly held, in part, because administration officials did not provide comment, but the newly aired segment still does not appear to include substantive comment in response to questions about alleged abuse.

“Since November, 60 Minutes has made several attempts to interview key Trump administration officials, on camera about our story,” Alfonsi said. “They declined our request.”

The story runs just shy of 17 minutes, about three minutes longer than a version that leaked online in December.

Administration officials “deflected” questions about allegations of abuse, claiming that the detainees were no longer under U.S. jurisdiction, according to Alfonsi. But a federal judge has determined that the United States maintained constructive custody after their removal under the Alien Enemies Act.

Last month, Washington, D.C., District Judge James Boasberg ruled that the Venezuelan men deported to CECOT deserve the right to a hearing — whether by bringing them back to the United States or allowing them to pursue their case abroad.

But last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued that any efforts to bring them back or allow them to attend virtual hearings in their home country “would risk material damage to U.S. foreign policy interests in Venezuela” in the wake of the deadly operation to capture Maduro and a volatile political environment it left in the aftermath.

During the segment, one of the formerly detained men recalled his arrival at CECOT, when the prison director gave him a chilling welcome. “The first thing he told us was that we would never see the light of day or night again. He said ‘welcome to hell. I’ll make sure you never leave,’” the man said. He added that torture was part of daily life, and that he was sexually assaulted by guards.

Another man said he was kept in a dark cell, where guards came to beat him every 30 minutes. “And they pounded on the door with sticks to traumatize us while we were in there,” he said.

Weiss, who was tapped to lead CBS News late last year, made a last-minute decision to hold the “Inside CECOT” segment in December.

The self-described “radical centrist” and founder of online news site The Free Press defended her decision in a Christmas Eve memo to CBS News staff, writing that she is on a mission to “win back” the trust of the American people.

“[S]ometimes it means holding a piece about an important subject to make sure it is comprehensive and fair,” she wrote.

Weiss added that “in our upside-down moment,” that alleged commitment to fairness may “seem radical” and “will surely feel controversial to those used to doing things one way,” but that “no amount of outrage — whether from activist organizations or the White House” should deter them.

But by withholding the piece, which had been fact-checked and run by a team of lawyers, Weiss drew fierce criticism from network staffers, with some accusing her of attempting to curry favor with the Trump administration.

“Holy f***ing dumpster fire,” one staffer told The Independent. Another reporter said that Weiss likely “crossed the Rubicon” when she stepped in and yanked the story.

“The 60 Minutes folks will likely revolt over this,” a network insider told The Independent. “Especially during football season.”

The 13-minute segment leaked online in late December, sparking social media reactions and prompting some to call it an example of the Streisand effect — in which more attention is drawn to a controversy than if no action had been taken.

The reaction within the administration, however, was much different.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller directed his ire at CBS News staffers who opposed Weiss’ decision, telling Fox News: “Every one of those producers at 60 Minutes engaged in this revolt — clean house and fire them, that’s what I say.”

The Salvadoran prison began drawing intense scrutiny last year, after the Trump administration paid President Nayib Bukele $5 million to detain deported Venezuelan immigrants accused of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang.

In March, shortly after the U.S. began flying Venezuelan men to CECOT, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem toured the facility, posing at one point in front of prisoners to record a video.

“I want to thank El Salvador and their president for their partnership with the United State of America to bring our terrorists here,” Noem said in the video.

Among the dozens of Venezuelans sent to CECOT in March was Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigration living in Maryland. Government lawyers admitted had been wrongfully deported, but his case ignited a fierce legal battle at the center of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign.

Abrego Garcia was ultimately returned to the U.S. last summer only to face a federal criminal indictment accusing him of smuggling undocumented migrants across the country, allegations that were only raised after his removal. He has pleaded not guilty.

Lawyers for Garcia have said he suffered “severe mistreatment” and “torture” during his detention. The 29-year-old endured “severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation, inadequate nutrition, and psychological torture” at CECOT, they said in July.

Multiple other Venezuelan men that were detained at the prison have previously spoken about the traumatizing ordeals they went through.

Neiyerver Adrian Leon Rengel, 27, sued the Trump administration in July, seeking $1.3 million in damages, alleging he was wrongfully detained and suffered injuries.