'Do You Think That You Should Publish Something That Calls Trees Racist?': Timmons Grills PBS CEO

2 days ago

At Wednesday's House DOGE Committee hearing, Rep. William Timmons (R-SC) questioned PBS CEO Paula Kerger about editorial content on her outlet.

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Transcript

00:00Ms. Kerger, I will say this, you have been very professional, and you have been there

00:04for decades, and I think that you've done a fairly good job over your tenure.

00:09But I want to ask you a very simple question.

00:11In retrospect, do you think that it was inappropriate to put the drag queen on the kids' show?

00:17Do you think that was a mistake?

00:20The drag queen was actually not on any of our kids' shows.

00:24The image that Chairman Taylor Greene showed was from a project that our New York City

00:31station did with the New York City Department of Education.

00:33What time of day did it air?

00:35It did not air.

00:36It was a digital project they did for the Department of Education.

00:40Do you think that that image could have anything to do with PBS?

00:43Do you think that that human, I mean, do you see?

00:45It was not for PBS.

00:48It was mistakenly put on our website by our, I'm sorry, I don't mean to talk over you.

00:53It was mistakenly put on our website by our New York City station.

00:56It was not intended for national distribution.

00:58It was immediately pulled down.

01:00It was never broadcast.

01:01How about, do you think that you should publish something that calls trees racist?

01:06In retrospect, should you have published that?

01:10I'm not sure what you're referring to, Congressman.

01:12You had a segment that was called racist trees, and it was, I mean, we've already referenced

01:17it a number of times.

01:18So, I mean, do you think trees can be racist?

01:20I guess that's a good one.

01:21I don't know what you're talking about.

01:22I've never heard of what you're referring to.

01:24All right.

01:25But I'd be happy to look into it.

01:27I guess, last, do you think that it's appropriate to expose children to issues of trans transitioning?

01:36Do you see a problem with that?

01:39Is that something you should avoid?

01:40That is not anything on any of our children's programs at all.

01:45Ms. Kerger, you have done a far better job here today, and we're going to continue to

01:49have this conversation.

01:50But, again, we have $36 trillion in debt, and we're trying to figure out how to make

01:54sure that our kids and our grandkids have an opportunity at the American dream, because

01:58if we don't change course financially, they won't.

02:02I yield back.

'Do You Think That You Should Publish Something That Calls Trees Racist?': Timmons Grills PBS CEO

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