CBS News cut the debate microphone of Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, when he objected to an attempt by moderator Margaret Brennan to debate Vance on how Haitian immigrations obtained temporary status in Springfield, Ohio.
Vance pointed out to Brennan that CBS News had said it would be up to the two candidates — not moderators Brennan and Norah O'Donnell — to fact-check each other and the journalists would encourage them to do so at Tuesday night's vice presidential debate.
Vance called out CBS News for breaking the rules it had set down, then had his mic cut.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social site during Tuesday's debate that "both young ladies have been extremely biased anchors!"
"Margaret Brennan just lied again about the ILLEGAL MIGRANTS let into our Country by Lyin' Kamala Harris, and then she cut off JD's mic to stop him from correcting her!" Trump protested in a real-time post.
It was the evening's most contentious moment and exposed CBS News' attempt to put its thumb on the scale against Vance and for Minnesota Democrat Gov. Tim Walz.
After Vance had talked about illegal immigrants overwhelming some American cities like Springfield, Brennan interjected that the Haitians that had moved to that city were now technically legal under the Biden-Harris administration's policies.
"Since you're fact-checking me, it's important to say what is actually going on," Vance said.
After briefly letting Vance speak, Brennan interrupted him to debate him as a wide-eyed Walz stood quietly. When Brennan had enough, she decided it was time for her to get the last word and move on to other issues. CBS News muted the microphone of Vance, who could still be faintly heard in the background debating Brennan in the New York City studio.
"Gentlemen, the audience can't hear you because your mics are cut," Brennan said, looking at Vance, who she was debating and unhappy with his correcting her on facts.
Trump was live posting on Truth Social, remarking at the myriad cases of evidence of bias in the moderating, a sticking point for his rejecting overtures for further presidential debates.
"Margaret Brennan just 'fact checked' JD, incorrectly, on 'Climate Change,'" Trump wrote. "When is she going to fact check Tampon Tim on all of his false statements? Another repeat with the Fake News being unfair to the Republican Candidate, and trying to get the pathetic Democrat across the finish line.
"But it doesn't matter, the Public sees it for what it is – FAKE NEWS!"
Fact-checking has been an issue for liberal media moderators during the Trump era, because of their propensity to devolve the debate into media versus Trump instead of candidate versus candidate.
This was fully on display before the American people with Brennan debating Vance on the issue he is closely intune with as sitting senator of Ohio.
There were points at which the moderators sought to encourage the candidates to police each other. During a discussion about whether illegal migration was driving up housing costs, Brennan said to Walz, "I do want to let you respond to the allegation that the vice president is letting in migrants."
Conservatives have been making that case for years.
And it took the Democrat-pressing issue of abortion to allow the candidates engage in the fact-checking CBS News promised to permit.
Vance cited a provision in a Minnesota abortion law, where Walz is governor.
"As I read Minnesota law, it says that a doctor that presides over an abortion where the baby survives, the doctor is under no obligation to provide life-saving care," Vance said, accurately.
Vance called that "fundamentally barbaric," while Walz merely claimed his opponent's interpretation of the law was untrue without providing any explanation.
What did the law actually say? That was left unclear, and viewers were left to decide which candidate they wanted to believe. The CBS moderators cut to a commercial, unwilling to clarify that Vance was pointing to Minnesota's law that permits doctors to allow a failed abortion baby to die without care.
Also, Minnesota unwound the reporting requirements for doctors to report on what care was delivered or not to a baby born after a failed abortion.
"Norah just made a statement about the Election, not a question: She's having a bad night!" Trump added on Truth Social after another moment where the moderator was debating Vance on the contested 2020 election.
"I thought Norah was fired from CBS for Low Ratings. Why is she still on?" Trump added.
Throughout the debate, CBS News ran on its screen a message that viewers could log onto its "CBS News Confirmed" website to read about claims in the debate that were untrue or misleading. At some points, the network even showed a code that enabled viewers to instantly call up the information on their mobile phones.
That entreaties was not shown on the screen of Newsmax's simulcast of the CBS News debate.
The debate may have represented the last chance for viewers to see representatives of the two presidential campaigns duke it out on screen. Vice President Kamala Harris has called for a second debate between her and Trump, but the Republican candidate has rejected the overture because Harris refuses to debate before voting started – or with moderators that were not decidedly favoring Harris in the race.
Information from The Associated Press was used to compile this report.