A CBS news reporter has backtracked on a social media message praising a man who confronted Abdul El-Sayed about the Muslim Brotherhood, conceding that her post crossed the network’s professional guidelines.
Jan Crawford apologizes over Abdul El-Sayed remarks
Jan Crawford, CBS News’ chief legal correspondent, addressed the controversy Sunday on X (formerly Twitter), admitting that sharing the town hall footage breached the broadcaster’s rules. “I apologize,” she wrote, explaining that she had removed her earlier post because it “violated CBS News standards.”
Before deleting the post, Crawford had congratulated a man identified as Tommy for confronting El-Sayed at a Saturday town hall. She mocked the Democratic Michigan Senate candidate’s response as a “spectacular self own,” claiming his brief agreement was followed by a lengthy answer that reinforced the questioner’s argument (via The Guardian).
The exchange began when Tommy asked El-Sayed whether he would “disavow the Muslim Brotherhood,” which Tommy described as a terrorist group. El-Sayed answered, “Sure. Yeah, absolutely,” then challenged the question’s implication. He argued that the question suggested he might have divided loyalties or place another allegiance above the Constitution.
Crawford’s commentary drew criticism from journalists and political figures. The Guardian media reporter Jeremy Barr posted on X that CBS had faced significant internal backlash over her remarks.
AJ Katz argued that a chief legal correspondent should not sound like an “opinion commentator,” while Pod Save America co-host Tommy Vietor called the editorializing “strange.”
CNN political commentator Karen Finney accused Crawford of helping spread racist falsehoods about El-Sayed because “he is Muslim.” Scrutiny of CBS’ political neutrality has grown since Bari Weiss took over as editor-in-chief in October 2025.
The leadership change came after Paramount Skydance acquired The Free Press, the right-leaning media outlet Weiss founded. Tensions have also reportedly surfaced inside the newsroom. Global affairs correspondent Trevor Phillips reportedly told colleagues critical of the network’s work at its London bureau to “f*** off and let us do our jobs.”
