A former ABC News medical correspondent has vowed never to set foot on CBS as long as the network keeps anti-aging influencer Peter Attia on its payroll after new Justice Department files revealed his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Dr. Jen Ashton drew a hard line in the sand in a fiery Instagram video, The Daily Beast reported. And she didn't mince words about why.
"I will not appear on CBS while Peter Attia is still under contract with them. I think it reflects badly on me, and I feel that the American people deserve more. I feel they deserve to get their information from a credentialed, high-caliber, moral individual," she said.
The ultimatum comes after revelations Attia exchanged roughly 1,700 emails with the accused sex trafficker between 2015 and 2019. In those messages, Attia gushed about Epstein's "outrageous" lifestyle, lamented he couldn't "tell a soul" and cracked crude jokes. The emails came despite the financier being a known criminal.
Ashton argues the network's morality clause should kick in.
"I have seen people... who have been fired or suspended for less egregious acts than 1,700 plus emails with a known and convicted pedophile and criminal," she said.
CBS News boss Bari Weiss, however, hasn't budged so far. The Trump-friendly network executive has indicated she wants to keep Attia around because she values his "contrarian voice." Her refusal has led to drama unfolding behind closed doors at CBS News, putting Weiss on a collision course with Paramount's top brass.
Ashton also slammed Attia's credentials, noting he was only a practicing physician for months and isn't board-certified.
"Just because someone’s famous does not mean they’re credentialed or credible," she said.