Veteran "60 Minutes" anchor Scott Pelley had a tense meeting with CBS News executives on Tuesday afternoon, leading some colleagues to speculate he will be fired, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
The meeting took place the day after Pelley harshly criticized and questioned the new executive producer of "60 Minutes," Nick Bilton, at a staff meeting. Pelley's harsh remarks immediately leaked to outside news outlets and sparked a crisis within CBS.
Pelley accused editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of trying to "destroy" the renowned news magazine and strongly objected to her hiring of Bilton, a former technology journalist with little television experience, as program director.
Pelley had previously rejected Weiss and Bilton's previous attempts to meet privately to discuss last Thursday's staffing changes at "60 Minutes," which saw the firing of top producers and two correspondents. Bilton was appointed the same day.
At a staff meeting on Monday, Pelley portrayed Weiss and Bilton as unqualified for their positions and said Bilton would "never be welcome.".
Some CBS insiders later said they believed Pelley had provoked Weiss into quitting. His critics at the network said he acted like a bully at a staff meeting. But his supporters—and he has many—claimed he was simply standing up for his colleagues and trying to protect the 60 Minutes franchise.
Pelley was supposed to go on summer vacation on Tuesday, but he remained in New York and told colleagues he had been called to a meeting with management on Tuesday afternoon.
Weiss and Bilton were present at the event, along with CBS News President Tom Cibrowski and a human resources representative, the source said.
The meeting, first reported by Pak, ended without any clear decision being reached on how to proceed.
A CBS News representative has not yet responded to a request for comment. Pelley also did not respond to a request for comment.
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