CBS chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford left a panel of liberal journalists in stunned silence during Sunday’s Face the Nation, after she called out the liberal media’s lies about the conservative Supreme Court’s purported “corruption.” She called the media’s narrative “over-reported,” “patently false,” “profoundly irresponsible,” and “dangerous” for the country.
Toward the end of the show, moderator Margaret Brennan was leading the panel of CBS journalists (which included Crawford, January-6-obsessed Scott MacFarlane, chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett, and senior White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs) through a segment featuring what they felt were the under-reported and over-reported stories of the year.
When it came time for Crawford to give hers, she noted that “there is a narrative that the Supreme Court is corrupt” and “in the tank for [President]Trump.” She followed up by resolutely affirming that, “Not only is that narrative over-reported, it is patently false, and it's dangerous for the institution and the public's faith and confidence in the rule of law.”
“This is a conservative Supreme Court. It has been a conservative Supreme Court for 20 years. People can disagree and do disagree with their opinions, but it's profoundly wrong to call it or say corruption where there, in fact, is none,” she added.
Pivoting to what was under-reported, Crawford pointed to the Supreme Court’s efforts restore “accountability and our constitutional structure.” “And I think, as we approach our 250th anniversary of this country, it's important to think about the court and their rule of law as the justices are doing, especially if we hope to keep democracy intact,” she warned.
On @FaceTheNation @JanCBS Crawford scolded the press corps in naming her “under-reported” story of the year: “There is a narrative the Supreme Court is corrupt. We saw that emerge in the wake of the Dobbs decision...and now we see it that they’re in the tank for Trump. Not only… pic.twitter.com/2rPcXbEnvQ
— Brent Baker 🇺🇲🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@BrentHBaker) December 28, 2025
A silence fell over the panel for a moment as Brennan tried to figure out how to recover. She locked onto Crawford’s caution for democracy. However, before Brennan could twist into the media’s usual fear mongering about America’s future under/post Trump, Crawford interjected to keep the focus on reporting about the Supreme Court:
BRENNAN: That's a big statement, Jan. If we hope to keep democracy in tact.
CRAWFORD: If the public loses confidence in the rule of law, I don't know what that means for democracy.
BRENNAN: Yeah. Um --
CRAWFORD: And that's why I think some of the rhetoric about corruption is so, so profoundly irresponsible.
Crawford had long been one of the few voices of reason at pre-Bari-Weiss-CBS.
In 2024, Crawford told off CBS Mornings co-anchor Gayle King who tried to fear-monger about presidential immunity and Trump possibly killing political opponents. She also pushed back against Justice Sotomayor’s “extreme language” used in her dissent to that decision. In 2025, she argued on-air that Trump’s position against national injunctions by regional judges had merit and had been criticized by both parties for many years.
Even behind the scenes, Crawford was not afraid to buck her liberal colleagues. In 2024, during an editorial call, she came to the defense of CBS Mornings co-anchor Tony Dokoupil after he offered critical questions to Ta-Nehisi Coates about his pro-Hamas book. “I thought our commitment was to truth,” she declared.
Hopefully, Crawford will be allowed more screen time on the network to provide that kind of level-headed, sober analysis and balance.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
CBS’s Face the Nation
December 28, 2025
11:23:28 a.m. Eastern(…)
MARGARET BRENNAN: Jan, under-reported.
JAN CRAWFORD: You know, there is a narrative that the Supreme Court is corrupt. I mean, we saw that emerge in the wake of the Dobbs decision that over turned Roe v. Wade. And now we see it that they’re in the tank for Trump. Not only is that narrative over-reported, it is patently false, and it's dangerous for the institution and the public's faith and confidence in the rule of law.
This is a conservative Supreme Court. It has been a conservative Supreme Court for 20 years. People can disagree and do disagree with their opinions, but it's profoundly wrong to call it or say corruption where there, in fact, is none.
What’s under-reported is any understanding of what this court has been doing for the past 20 years. Its views of its role, vis-a- vis the other branches. How it sees the law, how it's trying in it’s focus to restore some kind of accountability and our constitutional structure.
Again, this is a court that is functional. It is consistent. They are nine justices. They don't necessarily see the Constitution the same way by any means or how to interpret federal law. They’re in a struggle over the proper way to interpret the Constitution, but that's as it should be.
And I think, as we approach our 250th anniversary of this country, it's important to think about the court and their rule of law as the justices are doing, especially if we hope to keep democracy intact.
[Silence]
BRENNAN: That's a big statement, Jan. If we hope to keep democracy in tact.
CRAWFORD: If the public loses confidence in the rule of law, I don't know what that means for democracy.
BRENNAN: Yeah. Um --
CRAWFORD: And that's why I think some of the rhetoric about corruption is so, so profoundly irresponsible.
SCOTT MACFARLANE: And it causes threats.
CRAWFORD: Oh, yes. Which again, the justices are under tremendous – and federal judges as well.
BRENNAN: Well, it's all institutions, including the fourth estate.
(…)
