Hitting a disturbing new low in news journalism, CBS News Friday smeared U.S. Representative James Clyburn (D-South Carolina) for earmarking $1 million for the Charles R. Drew Wellness Center, a rehabilitative and therapy center in Columbus, South Carolina. CBS fitted Clyburn for a black hat apparently because the center hired Clyburn’s daughter as an employee. Clyburn, who seemed a bit puzzled as to why that was in any way newsworthy, did not defend his efforts to build the center, which manages the health needs of disabled people. “I would hate to think that, because I was involved with helping them build the center that they would refuse to hire my daughter.”

CBS did not suggest nor could they prove hiring Clyburn’s daughter was a quid pro quo requirement for Clyburn’s assistance, but the overall sleazy tone of the piece seemed clearly intended to do the congressman harm. And, here’s what they didn’t say:

This place, a fabulous, state-of-the-art facility that does actual good in the community, cost more than a million dollars. A lot more. Clyburn’s million certainly helped, but this place, teeming with physical therapy apparatus and staff, was hardly built by Clyburn alone.

The reporter asked Clyburn if he’d support legislation requiring disclosures of family members who are subsequently hired for projects like this one. Clyburn said he had no problem with such a requirement, and seemed genuinely puzzled as to what the fuss was about. He’d done absolutely nothing illegal—his daughter applied for a job doing something good for the city. He hardly made a secret of it, nor was there any impropriety going on.

CBS just wanted to do a story. And they needed to make somebody a crook. This was yellow journalism of the worst kind, casting a pall on Congressman Clyburn who, by CBS’s own admission, had done absolutely nothing illegal. They went on to say that Clyburn had subsequently earmarked another $250,000 the following year for the facility—a fraction of the wellness center’s overall budget—CBS reporting it like it was a Mafia payoff or something.

CBS owes Clyburn an apology. Owes all of us an apology for this lowlife-style reporting. They sleazed a man who had done absolutely nothing wrong. And they did it just so they could cram another name into their story about nepotism. I felt so sad for the Congressman, who was clearly being sandbagged in all of this. I doubt he can mount a viable lawsuit against CBS, but I wish he could.

Meanwhile, the people of Columbus should be proud of that wonderful center and the congressman who helped get it built. If they’re not, then, heck, I’ll move there and vote for him myself.

CBS should be ashamed.