The National Republican Congressional Committee – upset over a “60 Minutes” exposé on how much time members of Congress spend fundraising in D.C. — is now accusing CBS of engaging in “Watergate” tactics.
The report includes hidden camera footage of the NRCC’s call center on Capitol Hill that CBS says was taken by a staffer.
“Not since Watergate has the headquarters of a major political party committee been so violated. CBS conspired with an anonymous staffer to enter our offices and obtain unauthorized footage under false pretenses. This is not journalism. This is trespassing,” wrote NRCC executive director Rob Simms in a Friday letter to CBS, published by Politico.
The “60 Minutes” spot — titled “Are Members Of Congress Becoming Telemarketers” — is hosted by CBS’ Norah O’Donnell and features Republican Rep. [crscore]David Jolly[/crscore] lamenting how the party encourages members to spend hours every week making fundraising calls not just for themselves, but for the party. Both Republicans and Democrats, “60 Minutes” explains, do this.
“We sat behind closed doors at one of the party headquarter back rooms in front of a white board where the equation was drawn out,” Jolly said. “You have six months until the election. Break that down to having to raise $2 million in the next six months. And your job, new member of Congress, is to raise $18,000 a day. Your first responsibility is to make sure you hit $18,000 a day.”
WATCH the 60 Minutes report: