DeSantis rips 'smear merchants' in media following '60 Minutes' segment

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) tore into journalists working for CBS News, calling them "smear merchants" and accusing them of peddling a "horse manure" narrative about the coronavirus vaccine rollout in his state.

"These are smear merchants. That's why nobody trusts corporate media. They are a disaster in what they are doing," DeSantis said during a press conference in Panama City on Tuesday morning. "They knew what they were doing was a lie."

On Sunday evening, CBS reporter Sharyn Alfonsi presented a far-ranging report for "60 Minutes" that criticized DeSantis's vaccine rollout, accusing him of funneling vaccines to rich communities while using a privatized system that benefited political donors.