NEWSCBS News Denies Burying '60 Minutes' Epstein Banking Investigation
CBS denied burying its ‘60 Minutes’ Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Aug. 8 2026, Published 10:31 a.m. ET
CBS News is pushing back against claims that it buried a 60 Minutes investigation tied to Jeffrey Epstein’s banking network.
The dispute erupted after Sen. Ron Wyden released a Senate Finance Committee report on August 4 examining how major Wall Street banks handled suspicious Epstein-related transactions. In the report, the Oregon Democrat said he sat for a taped interview in March with then-60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi as part of a broader segment about Epstein, his associates, Wall Street banks and the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Alfonsi was later fired, and that segment never aired.
A Senator Raises the Alarm
Sen. Ron Wyden said he recorded an interview with Sharyn Alfonsi about the investigation.
The report stated that after Alfonsi taped the interview with Wyden, “CBS News Leadership led by Bari Weiss made the decision to fire Sharyn Alfonsi.”
“As a result, the interview with Senator Wyden will not be aired and it is unclear whether Bari Weiss and CBS News Leadership will allow the broader segment to ever be aired,” the report continued.
Wyden’s broader investigation alleged that JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank and Bank of America failed to properly screen and report Epstein-related financial activity. The report alleged Deutsche Bank failed to promptly disclose more than $250 million in suspicious Epstein-related transactions.
CBS Rejects the Claim
The network said the report was not finished before the season ended.
CBS News denied that politics or leadership pressure kept the Epstein segment off the air.
“We are proud of our aggressive and extensive reporting on the Epstein scandal,” a CBS spokesperson said in a statement to multiple media outlets. “That reporting continues. We air pieces when they are ready, and suggesting that an interview is being ‘suppressed’ for any reason is categorically false.”
The network confirmed Wyden’s interview took place, but said the piece had not been completed before 60 Minutes ended its season in May.
JPMorgan Chase also rejected the report’s conclusions, telling Newsweek it “strongly” disagreed and saying the findings relied on “many false claims contradicted by easily-found public information.” Bank of America told the outlet it takes its legal and regulatory obligations seriously and “did not facilitate wrongdoing.” Deutsche Bank told the outlet it “regrets our historical connection with Jeffrey Epstein” and has cooperated with regulators and law enforcement.
- Stephen Colbert’s Daughter Leaves '60 Minutes' as CBS News Faces More Upheaval
- David Ellison Vows to Keep CNN Centered 'Straight Down the Middle' If $110 Billion Acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery Is Finalized
- Stephen Colbert Wins Anti-Censorship Award as 'Late Show' Cancelation Becomes Bigger Than Late Night
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
The Alfonsi Factor
Former correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi remained central to the dispute.
The allegation lands amid ongoing turmoil at 60 Minutes. Alfonsi left CBS News in May after what she called an “intense editorial dispute” over a separate segment on El Salvador’s CECOT prison.
“This was not a routine corporate transition; it was a deliberate choice to penalize a journalist for refusing to sanitize factually accurate reporting, and it sends a chilling message to the entire newsroom,” Alfonsi said at the time.
The allegation added to turmoil surrounding ‘60 Minutes’ after major figures’ exited the show.
Other major 60 Minutes figures have also exited, including Cecilia Vega, Tanya Simon and Scott Pelley.
CBS has not publicly committed to airing the Epstein banking segment when the show returns.
