On the eve of Wisconsin’s pivotal Supreme Court election, which could decide the balance of the Court, the permanence of Scott Walker’s reforms and potentially alter the makeup of Congress, CBS aired a report that simultaneously broadcasts the Elite Resistance Media’s contempt for the Rust Belt and its severe Musk Derangement Syndrome.
CBS Senior White House Correspondent Ed O’Keefe begins his video package by dismissing the importance of the election:
Elite Resistance Media can't hide their contempt at having to cover hugely consequential Wisconsin Supreme Court race, as shown by CBS's Ed O'Keefe: pic.twitter.com/CxT3a6WQl2
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) April 1, 2025
ELON MUSK: I think this will be important for the future of civilization. It's that significant.
ED O’KEEFE: Uh, not quite. It's just a state supreme court contest in Wisconsin. By some estimates, more than $80 million will be spent here including from out-of-state donors- including Elon Musk, who even wore a cheesehead last night while visiting Green Bay.
After dumping on Wisconsin proper, O’Keefe then shifts to the Elon Derangement portion of the program. In one of the wilder instances of overt bias we’ve seen in a while, O’Keefe’s video package displays dollar amounts donated by Elon Musk in direct (or indirect) support of conservative candidate Brad Schimel. No such dollar amounts, though, disclosed for donors JB Pritzker and George Soros in support of liberal Susan Crawford:
NOT EVEN PRETENDING TO HIDE THEIR GROTESQUE BIAS ANYMORE: CBS discloses dollar amounts donated by @elonmusk in Wisconsin Supreme Court race, but NOT amounts by ILGOV JB Pritzker and George Soros pic.twitter.com/S2v4FXbqNf
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) April 1, 2025
O’KEEFE: But as the first big political contest since President Trump took office, it's become a proxy fight between his supporters and opponents. Musk has personally donated $3 million to the state GOP, and his political action committee spending more than $12 million to help the Republican-backed candidate Brad Schimel. On the left, billionaire Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and liberal activist George Soros have donated millions.
“Millions”, says O’Keefe. Unspecified, indeterminate millions by billionaires Soros and Pritzker versus a dollar amount by Musk. The contrast couldn’t be clearer.
Even on the question of donations- O’Keefe aired Crawford’s nonresponse, unattached to any question, but aired his pointed question to Schimel on Musk’s donations. There is a night-and-day difference between how these candidates are covered.
CBS’s coverage of the Wisconsin Supreme Court race is a reminder: if it weren’t for double standards, there would often be none at all.
Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on the CBS Evening News on Monday, March 31st, 2025:
JOHN DICKERSON: Voters in Wisconsin go to the polls tomorrow to elect a justice to the highest state court.
MAURICE DuBOIS: The job pays $196,000, but more than 400 times that amount has been spent on the race, and that makes it the most expensive judicial contest in U.S. history.
DICKERSON: Billionaires on both sides are pumping in money. The reason? The race could decide whether the Court leans left or right on some very critical issues. Ed O'Keefe is in Milwaukee.
ELON MUSK: I think this will be important for the future of civilization. It's that significant.
ED O’KEEFE: Uh, not quite. It's just a state supreme court contest in Wisconsin. By some estimates, more than $80 million will be spent here including from out-of-state donors- including Elon Musk, who even wore a cheesehead last night while visiting Green Bay. Susan Crawford is the Democratic-backed candidate in this officially nonpartisan race, who says the state court could rule on critical issues.
SUSAN CRAWFORD: So it can be things like fair elections, the right to vote, health care privacy, reproductive rights. You know, the safety of our water in Wisconsin.
O’KEEFE: But as the first big political contest since President Trump took office, it's become a proxy fight between his supporters and opponents. Musk has personally donated $3 million to the state GOP, and his political action committee spending more than $12 million to help the Republican-backed candidate Brad Schimel. On the left, billionaire Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and liberal activist George Soros have donated millions.
CRAWFORD: We've been in control over all of the- all of the contributions that our campaign has received. And on the other side, Elon Musk has pretty much taken over.
O'KEEFE: Musk said today he’d give Schimel supporters $20 if they promote him online. Last night he gave million-dollar checks to two supporters of his political action committee. Schimel says he wasn't invited.
The accusation that he's spending tens of millions of dollars to buy a seat and that you’re the guy that's going to help them do that, you say…?
BRAD SCHIMEL: You have to ask him why he spent all this money.
O'KEEFE: I would love to.
SCHIMEL: Yeah, I didn't ask for it, I didn't ex- I didn’t know that that was going to happen. I'm grateful for it. As long as that help isn't pretending I'm going to do anything that I- that I wouldn't do.
DuBOIS: Ed O’Keefe in Milwaukee now. So the race was high-stakes before Elon Musk and the billionaires got involved, so take us through what's at play here, Ed.
O'KEEFE: Well. the ideological balance of the seven-member court is going to be set by whoever wins tomorrow night, which means on issues like abortion rights, election issues, women's rights and whether labor unions can organize, could all be determined and stay in either the liberal or conservative viewpoint for several years to come.
DICKERSON: Ed, is what Musk is doing here, is it legal?
O'KEEFE: That is a good question, John. The Democratic attorney general of Wisconsin didn't think so and tried to sue, blocking Musk from handing out those checks. The issue worked its way through the courts of Wisconsin through the weekend- got all the way to the state Supreme Court- the one that has a seat up for grabs tomorrow night. They've declined to engage on the issue which means for now, at least, it's perfectly legal for the wealthiest man in the world to keep handing out checks in Wisconsin.
DuBOIS: All right. Ed O’Keefe in Milwaukee tonight. Thanks.
