Scott Pelley, a veteran correspondent for 60 Minutes, was fired from CBS after a heated confrontation with the show’s new executive producer, Nick Bilton, who accused the journalist of “surprise attack,” “hostility,” and “misconduct.”

In a shocking termination letter, signed by Bilton, Pelley was informed that his contract with CBS had been “terminated for cause, effective immediately.” “I deeply regret that you rejected this proposal and opted for surprise attack,” the letter states. “Yesterday, you interrupted my first meeting with the staff to discredit me, my qualifications, and my intentions with extraordinary incivility and contempt.”

