The National Republican Congressional Committee has launched an internal investigation aimed at determining how CBS News obtained undercover video shot inside the NRCC’s offices, according to a report Wednesday by Politico.
The story, “Dialing for Dollars,” which aired Sunday, showed call suites where members of congress spend up to 30 hours a week calling and asking for contributions.
“It turns out there are no pictures, or no footage, of what these call centers look like,” said correspondent Norah O’Donnell about the decision to obtain and use the undercover video. “It was important that we get the first look–the only look–inside these call centers.”
“We did ask them if we could shoot inside, and they said no,” said 60 Minutes producer Patricia Shevlin. As for deciding to go ahead and shoot undercover, Shevlin said “it’s not something you take lightly.” The team consulted lawyers before and after the video was shot.
Shevlin would not identify the source who helped CBS get access to the offices–and the person who the NRCC hopes to identify in its investigation. “You don’t want there to be repercussions. You don’t want anybody to lose a job.”