Marjorie Taylor Greene Gestures of recognition Lesley Stahl of 'an hour's In the midst of Backfire

In the face of criticism over the program's decision to feature Lesley Stahl in a segment, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has praised the host of 60 Minutes.

A sit-down interview with Greene, the outspoken and contentious Republican congresswoman who represents Georgia's 14th Congressional District, is planned for Sunday's episode of the venerable CBS News program 60 Minutes. Many online have criticized the program and Stahl, who will interview the GOP lawmaker, for platforming a politician who is accused of spreading antisemitic, transphobic, homophobic, white supremacist, and far-right ideologies. The move has sparked a significant backlash.

Lesley Stahl:

In a post promoting the episode, the official Twitter account of the program stated, "Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, nicknamed MTG, isn't afraid to share her opinions, no matter how intense and in your face they are."

Greene took to Twitter on Saturday to respond to the backlash, praising Stahl and thanking her for the opportunity to appear on 60 Minutes, despite their disagreement on "some issues."

Greene tweeted on Saturday in advance of her upcoming appearance on the long-running "news magazine" program, "It was an honor to spend a few days with the legendary icon Leslie [sic] Stahl and the talented crew [of 60 Minutes]." Leslie is a pioneer in the field of journalism for women. And keeping in mind that we might differ on certain issues, I regard her significantly."

CBS has not yet provided an official statement regarding the controversy surrounding Greene's upcoming appearance on 60 Minutes. Newsweek contacted the business via email for a response.

"Consternated by this. Former NBCUniversal executive Mike Sington tweeted, "60 Minutes turns its prestigious platform over to Marjorie Taylor Green, normalizing a conspiracy theorist, antisemitic troll, insurrectionist, white supremacist, racist, and homophobic and transphobic extremist." CBS, 60 Minutes, and Lesley Stahl deserve shame."

Politician Jon Cooper wrote in his own tweet, "It's disgusting that Lesley Stahl did a [60 Minutes] propaganda infomercial for fascist Marjorie Taylor Greene." Isn't that for ratings, right?"

"So many of us in the media were trained to find these seemingly neutral ways of framing extreme ideas," journalist and author Anand Giridharadas wrote in his own tweet in response to the show's soft language regarding Greene's outspoken positions. "In your face," "intensified." However, this training is ineffective in the current situation. These are not strongly held opinions. They are a recipe for liberal democracy's demise."