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<\/p>\nThe 35-year newsmag veteran put Trump\u2019s election obsession under the microscope.<\/p>\n
60 Minutes legend Lesley Stahl delivered a scathing report on President Donald Trump\u2019s federal election-meddling efforts just a week after an alleged editorial dust-up with her MAGA-curious boss, Bari Weiss.<\/p>\n
Stahl, 84, dove deep into how the Trump administration has attempted to undermine the reliability of elections, speaking with state and local officials about their unprecedented actions regarding election security on Sunday night\u2019s episode.<\/p>\n
The 35-year-veteran correspondent first spoke with Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett about the administration\u2019s January FBI raid on a local Georgia election facility.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my wildest dreams, I never imagined that we would be raided by the FBI,\u201d Barrett, a Democrat, told Stahl on 60 Minutes.<\/p>\n
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Barrett recounted how she rushed to the warehouse to find dozens of armed FBI agents raiding the facility.<\/p>\n
In January, FBI officials stormed the Fulton County election office and seized hundreds of boxes containing ballots and voter rolls from the 2020 presidential election.<\/p>\n
Barrett described how dozens of federal agents, wearing vests and carrying guns, arrived at the warehouse with a criminal search warrant. She told Stahl she had no choice but to let them seize the ballots they were looking for, and that to this day, she still has no idea where they went.<\/p>\n
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Stahl’s report put Trump’s attempts to undermine election reliability in the crosshairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it was all part of this concerted effort that\u2019s happening nationwide to undermine faith in elections,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox<\/p>\n
Stahl also spoke with Utah Republican Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson, who agreed that the level of federal interference in elections was unheard of.<\/p>\n
![\"deidre](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/N3D3NAKWAJDI7HLWMFS76T62IU.jpg\")
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Henderson revealed that the DOJ is investigating her over her refusal to turn over voter information.<\/p>\n
The Salt Lake Tribune\/The Salt Lake Tribune via Getty <\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past two elections that I oversaw as lieutenant governor, the threats were all external. Non-state actors, cybersecurity threats, and other things,\u201d she said. \u201cBut now we also have threats coming from within our own government.\u201d<\/p>\n
Henderson described how Trump\u2019s Justice Department demanded their \u201cstatewide voter registration list,\u201d which includes voters\u2019 sensitive personal information.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey wanted things that we typically are required by law to keep private: Social Security numbers, full dates of birth, driver\u2019s license numbers,\u201d she said, noting that DOJ officials didn\u2019t explain why they needed the confidential data.<\/p>\n
Henderson dismissed the government\u2019s claim that noncitizen voting was a major problem, saying she found only 52 cases among the over 2 million votes cast in Utah. Stahl said that the figure calculated out to two-thousandths of one percent.<\/p>\n
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The Utah Republican said the DOJ notified her last month that she was officially \u201cunder investigation,\u201d but that she wouldn\u2019t back down even despite the federal pressure.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just doing my job,\u201d she told Stahl. \u201cI have to tell myself it doesn\u2019t matter what the consequences are, if\u2014as long as I feel like I\u2019m doing what\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Henderson continued, \u201cI think this is an important thing for me to do\u2014holding these guardrails, holding the line. Someone has to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stahl then turned her attention to Trump.<\/p>\n
![\"Deidre](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/R4QH43Y7UJC6HPGWWFIMRBMPYM.jpg\")
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Henderson said she has to stand up for what she believes is right.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn America, elections are local. They\u2019re run by towns and counties and states. It\u2019s all in Article 1 of the Constitution. Congress makes laws regulating elections,\u201d she explained. \u201cBut the president doesn\u2019t have a role in running them. That hasn\u2019t stopped Mr. Trump from signing two executive orders trying to create new federal voting rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also highlighted just how frequently Trump, 80, has belabored his claims of election fraud in the 2020 election.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIn the 21 months of President Trump\u2019s second term, he has said, in so many words, the vote can\u2019t be trusted more than 150 times,\u201d Stahl said. <\/p>\n
Speaking with the DOJ\u2019s assistant attorney general for civil rights, Harmeet Dhillon, Stahl pressed the Trump appointee on whether the president would go so far as to station federal ICE agents to polling locations.<\/p>\n
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Dhillon claimed there are “thousands” of cases of noncitizen voting that the DOJ is “looking at.” <\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no plan to do that,\u201d Dhillon, 57, answered, adding that the idea that Trump would challenge the midterm results was just \u201cparanoia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what is going to happen, but I can tell you that absent some shocking contingency that is unexpected, there should be no interruption in the usual course of counting and certifying the results in the states,\u201d she told Stahl.<\/p>\n
Stahl\u2019s in-depth report on Trump comes just a week after a claim that she had a heated debate<\/a> with CBS News editor-in-chief Weiss over a 60 Minutes segment on violent Israeli settlers.<\/p>\n Insiders revealed to Status <\/a>that Weiss, a fervent supporter of Israel and critic of media coverage in Gaza, inserted herself repeatedly into the editorial process behind the report and became \u201cvery, very hands-on.\u201d<\/p>\n Weiss and her deputy, managing editor Charles Forelle, were even thinking of shelving the report for a later date, but Stahl wasn\u2019t having it.<\/p>\n Stahl and Weiss then engaged in an \u201caggressive back-and-forth,\u201d which resulted in the story coming to air last Sunday.<\/p>\n The 60 Minutes veteran, however, privately discussed quitting, according to Status.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a ludicrous, twisted narrative. All \u201860 Minutes\u2019 pieces go through a famously rigorous editorial process\u2014which includes edits from editors. This piece received far fewer edits than most,\u201d a CBS spokesperson said of the report at the time<\/a>.<\/p>\n The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n Unlock a year of full access to The Daily Beast for $35.<\/p>\n What’s IncludedUnlimited access (web + app)Exclusive ad-free newslettersCommenting accessDaily crosswordSneak peek of launches & events<\/p>\n Auto-renews at $5.99 monthly. Cancel anytime<\/p>\n What’s IncludedDiscounted annual rate – Save 47%Unlimited access (web + app)Exclusive ad-free newslettersCommenting accessDaily crosswordSneak peek of launches & events<\/p>\n Auto-renews at $59.99 yearly. Cancel anytime<\/p>\n Best Value<\/p>\n What’s IncludedDiscounted annual rateFull access to the Daily Beast Substack ($60 value)*Premium ad-free readingUnlimited access (web + app)Exclusive ad-free newslettersCommenting accessDaily crosswordSneak peek of launches & events<\/p>\n Auto-renews at $119.99 yearly. Cancel anytime<\/p>\n *Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack\u2019s Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Looks like you already have a subscription!<\/p>\n You’re all set!<\/p>\n Thanks for subscribing.<\/p>\n Back to plans<\/p>\n Subscription$0.00<\/p>\n Total$0.00<\/p>\n Continue with GoogleContinue with FacebookLoading subscription options Register below to read this article for free\u00a0 or subscribe SubscribeRegister<\/p>\n What’s IncludedUnlimited access (web + app)Exclusive ad-free newslettersCommenting accessDaily crosswordSneak peek of launches & events<\/p>\n Auto-renews at $5.99 monthly. Cancel anytime<\/p>\n What’s IncludedDiscounted annual rate – Save 47%Unlimited access (web + app)Exclusive ad-free newslettersCommenting accessDaily crosswordSneak peek of launches & events<\/p>\n Auto-renews at $59.99 yearly. Cancel anytime<\/p>\n Best Value<\/p>\n What’s IncludedDiscounted annual rateFull access to the Daily Beast Substack ($60 value)*Premium ad-free readingUnlimited access (web + app)Exclusive ad-free newslettersCommenting accessDaily crosswordSneak peek of launches & events<\/p>\n Auto-renews at $119.99 yearly. Cancel anytime<\/p>\n *Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack\u2019s Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792390818_541_poster.jpg\")
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