CBS News is said to be in turmoil over new contributor Dr. Peter Attia, whose name appears more than 1,700 times in the latest batch of documents released from the Jeffrey Epstein files.
According to The Wrap, there is intense pressure on CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss to cut ties with Attia, who Weiss announced as one of the network’s newest contributors just last week. However, The Free Press co-founder is reportedly refusing to fire the wellness guru.
“It’s Bari versus everyone right now on Attia,” a source with knowledge of the internal discussion told The Wrap. It was noted that the situation will likely have to be resolved by Paramount CEO David Ellison.
Attia, a physician who provides advice on health and wellness, appears in several email exchanges with the late convicted sex offender. In one email, sent in 2015, Attia wrote to Epstein, “[The] worst part about being your friend is that the life you lead is so outrageous, and yet I can’t tell a soul.”
In another, sent in 2016, Attia joked about diet advice, telling Epstein, “P***y is, indeed, low carb. Still awaiting results on gluten content, though.”
Attia, who hasn’t been accused of any criminal wrongdoing, posted a lengthy apology on X on Monday (February 2).
“To be clear: 1. I was not involved in any criminal activity. 2. My interactions with Epstein had nothing to do with his sexual abuse or exploitation of anyone. 3. I was never on his plane, never on his island, and never present at any sex parties,” he wrote.
“That said, I apologize and regret putting myself in a position where emails, some of them embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible, are now public, and that is on me. I accept that reality and the humiliation that comes with it,” Attia added.
Weiss joined CBS News last October and has since been putting her stamp on the network, including firings, hirings, and program revamps. At a town hall last week, Weiss told her staff that she wants to “earn” their trust.
“I’m not going to stand up here today and ask for your trust. I’m going to earn it, just like we have to do with our viewers,” Weiss said, according to The Wrap. “What I can give you is what I’ve always tried to give my readers as a journalist: transparency, clarity, straight talk.”
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