CBS correspondent Scott MacFarlane revealed shortly after Monday’s CBS Mornings that he was quitting the network in order to embrace “independence” and seek out “new spaces to share my work in line with my personal goals,” which will almost certainly include the one thing MacFarlane loves more than just about anything in a weird, crazy-ex-girlfriend manner: January 6.
And, in a totally predictable move, his final on-air report on said CBS newscast was about January 6 and a plaque hung this weekend to honor law enforcement who served that day.
So, yes, the guy who’s been almost singularly focused on January 6 is quitting the Bari Weiss-led network. Who knows if he’ll still be talking about January 6 three decades from now like that Japanese soldier who thought World War II was still going on.
MacFarlane posted on X shortly after 9:00 a.m. Eastern what he had shared with CBS colleagues:
To my incredible colleagues at CBS: I want to personally let you know that my work will soon no longer appear on CBS News. This is my decision, and I appreciate the bosses at CBS for understanding it.
I will always value the opportunity I had to work alongside the talented and committed professionals here. I'm proud to have had the words 'CBS correspondent' next to my name - always will be.
For the next phase of my career, I look forward to some independence and finding new spaces to share my work in line with my personal goals. I thank you all. The work will not stop, and I'll always be a call away.
His final segment was only 86 seconds and was a victory lap of sorts.
Here was the final report Scott @MacFarlaneNews shared on 'CBS Mornings' before he resigned from the network early Monday.
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) March 9, 2026
It was about --- what else --- the only thing he cares about: January 6 (specifically, a plaque in the Capital for all the officers who were on duty that… pic.twitter.com/HSWQABov08
Fill-in co-host Adriana Diaz buttered him up as though he’s responsible for ensuring a plaque was
In another time, the hanging of a plaque to honor police officers who responded to the January 6 assault on the Capitol would be a moment of unity, but there was a political fight over recognizing the heroism of that day and Scott McFarlane’s reporting raised awareness of that battle.
MacFarlane relayed that “federal law required the plaque to be hung by March 2023, so they are three years late when it happened unexpectedly over the weekend at 4 a.m. Saturday...on the west front of the Capitol inside the Capitol.”
The liberal partisan — who has a quick trigger finger to block on social media anyone who criticizes him — smeared tens of millions by saying the plaque was late due to “years of foot-dragging and falsehoods by Trump supporters here in Congress, but the breakthrough came because of North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis, a retiring Republican who said these delays are a slap in the face to the police responders in heroes from that day.”
“More than 140 police officers were injured. Several more died by suicide and our reporting in May 2024 about the delays triggered a federal lawsuit by two police responders who wanted a court to get involved, a judge to order the plaque be hung,” he said, adding the lawsuit will continue anyway to prevent it from being torn down.
“The families of police officers were surprised by the overnight posting of the plaque that they expect to come here for services and some tributes formally or informally, Adriana, in the days and weeks to come,” he concluded.
Needless to say, it’s a safe bet MacFarlane will be there or even emcee it since he singularly turned his career to obsessing over little else besides January 6 when he was a reporter for the Washington D.C.-area NBC affiliate, WRC.
Diaz buttered him yet again as though she had been tipped off to MacFarlane’s impending resignation: “And I read that QR code actually lists all the officers who were present. Scott, thank you so much for all of your reporting on January 6.”
Of course, the tributes were pouring in as though he had passed away. Variety’s Brian Steinberg gushed MacFarlane was “the hard charging CBS News justice and congressional correspondent” while The Wrap’s Michael Calderone boasted of MacFarlane’s “excellent work...around Jan 6 and its aftermath.”
“Why it jumped out to me to see him on the BBC for the 5th anniversary, providing sharp, detailed analysis, as CBS Evening News brushed over the attack,” he whined, alluding to a news brief from that day’s show the left still can’t get over.
Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan was crestfallen: “We will miss you, Scott. I will follow your work wherever you end up. You brought your enthusiasm and dedication to reporting to our DC bureau, the Hill & DOJ and made all of our broadcasts better. Thank you.”
Never Trumper Amanda Carpenter was beside herself: “I'm so sorry you had to make a decision like this, but I'm cheering you from afar. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. We will follow you wherever you go.”
“Just the best. CBS might as well save the electricity now. Godspeed, Scott,” huffed crazy Keith Olbermann. Fellow kook John Harwood was of the same mind: “[A]n exceptionally good correspondent leaves CBS News.”
More tributes continued to flood in with fellow D.C. journalists and progressive activists weighing in via the quotes for his X post, serving as a telltale of how much of a liberal tool someone is.
And, as a final reminder, MacFarlane is such a partisan that the went on Chuck Todd’s podcast last July and whined Trump supporters gave him PTSD from having been in Butler, Pennsylvania when President Trump was shot in July 2024.
To see the relevant CBS transcript from March 9, click “expand.”
CBS Mornings
March 9, 2026
7:16:54 a.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Coming Up; Long-Delayed Honor]
ADRIANA DIAZ: Coming up, why a tribute to police officers who defended the Capitol on January 6 has become a political controversy.
(....)
7:24 a.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Plaque Honoring Jan. 6 Officers Finally Put Up]
DIAZ: In another time, the hanging of a plaque to honor police officers who responded to the January 6 assault on the Capitol would be a moment of unity, but there was a political fight over recognizing the heroism of that day and Scott McFarlane’s reporting raised awareness of that battle. Scott, good morning.
SCOTT MACFARLANE: Hey, Adriana, federal law required the plaque to be hung by March 2023, so they are three years late when it happened unexpectedly over the weekend at 4 a.m. Saturday. The plaque was placed on the west front of the Capitol inside the Capitol. That’s after years of foot-dragging and falsehoods by Trump supporters here in Congress. But the breakthrough came because of North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis, a retiring Republican who said these delays are a slap in the face to the police responders in heroes from that day. More than 140 police officers were injured. Several more died by suicide and our reporting in May 2024 about the delays triggered a federal lawsuit by two police responders who wanted a court to get involved, a judge to order the plaque be hung. I’ve told that lawsuit will like to continue to ensure the plaque has not taken back down. The families of police officers were surprised by the overnight posting of the plaque that they expect to come here for services and some tributes formally or informally, Adriana, in the days and weeks to come.
DIAZ: And I read that QR code actually lists all the officers who were present. Scott, thank you so much for all of your reporting on January 6.
