March 24, 2004 -- DON Imus called CBS's Lesley Stahl a "gutless, lying weasel" yesterday for abruptly canceling an interview during which Imus planned to hammer her about conflict-of-interest allegations. "I realize it's a little late in your life, honey, to start gettin' honest, but just say 'I don't want to appear on the program . . . because I heard what he said earlier this morning,' " Imus railed.
Imus had promised listeners he'd ask Stahl why she and "60 Minutes" didn't disclose that the new book by Sunday night's controversial guest - former terrorism official Richard Clarke - was released by Simon & Schuster. Both the publisher and CBS - as well as Imus's station, WFAN - are owned by media giant Viacom. "60 Minutes" executive producer Don Hewitt said the program should have disclosed the corporate connection but that leaving it out was merely an "oversight."
| "Hey, this happens all the time, how am I supposed to keep it all straight?" |
Imus yesterday accused Stahl of being "one of the more dishonest members of the media" for allegedly going too easy on Clarke, who's been characterized as a disgruntled former employee by Bush administration officials. "She did everything but slip her tongue in his ear," said sidekick Bernard McGuirk.
| Thanks for that mental image, Don. |
"No wonder Fox [News Channel] is killing people - because people hate these people," said Imus.
A CBS News spokesperson told The Post that Stahl had to cancel Imus to shoot extra footage at Grand Central Terminal for upcoming segments of her primetime magazine "48 Hours Investigates." |