A CBS meteorologist based in Milwaukee was recently fired after going on a tirade against Elon Musk over a gesture he made during his post-inauguration speech at the Capital One Arena on Monday. As Musk was speaking to the crowd of Trump supporters he grabbed his chest and extended his arm to the crowd, stating, “My heart goes out to you.”
Almost immediately, the gesture was clipped out of context, with many speculating that Musk was giving a sig heil salute once performed by Nazi Germans. Reacting to this, CBS 58 weather reporter Sam Kuffel took to her personal Instagram to write, “Dude Nazi saluted twice. TWICE. During the inauguration. You f*ck with this and this man. I don’t f*ck with you. Full stop.” In another post, Kuffel shared a meme that read, “Screw that old b*tch. He’s a Nazi.”
Subsequently, Kuffel was released from her position with CBS 58. News director for the outlet, Jessie Garcia wrote in an internal staff memo, “Meteorologist Sam Kuffel is no longer employed at CBS58.” The statement added, “A search for a replacement is underway.” The news of Kuffel’s firing has since sparked conversations on social media.
Journalist Dan O’Donnell broke the news on X, writing, “EXCLUSIVE: @CBS58 meteorologist Sam Kuffel makes a pair of vulgar Instagram posts while spreading the lie that Elon Musk was giving a Nazi salute during yesterday’s Presidential Inauguration.” Providing additional context to the situation, Musk said, “As has been repeatedly pointed out, Musk said “my heart goes out to you” as he grabbed his heart and then motioned it out toward the crowd. @CBS58 has not yet responded to a request for comment on Kuffel’s post.” See the controversial posts below:
Such ardent defenders of free speech suggested the firing was unnecessary. “If it’s her personal account and she’s not bringing it up during her professional position / on the clock then what’s the issue. Everyone has their own opinions and as long as she’s not doing it in a professional capacity I don’t see the issue. We can’t say we want free speech one way and then condemn people for the same thing just because we don’t like their opinions…not how this works,” one comment on X read.
Another, user on X responded to this assertion, commenting, “Free speech is real, but it doesn’t mean you are free to say what you want everywhere. It will say in her employment contract that she represents the company and anything she does personally can reflect on her job. It’s in most public company handbooks where there is a public presence.”
Echoing this sentiment, one person said, “She has the right to do that. But her employer also has the right to fire her since she is an on-air personality if they feel she does not represent the company appropriately (either on or off air). My guess is it is in her contract somewhere.”
Another user flipped the script, writing, “Funny how people are criticizing the station for firing this woman because of freedom of speech (which she likely signed a social media disclosure, leading to her firing). Meanwhile, no one is talking about those who were fired (and never rehired/blacklisted) because they refused to be vaccinated for Covid, which proved to be ineffective. It also injured and killed a lot of people in the past four years.”
Watch Trump suggest Liz Cheney could “go to jail for a long time” below:
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