CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss told her staff Wednesday that the network fired long-time "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley because he broke the "foundation" of trust and respect. 

Pelley was fired Tuesday after he slammed Weiss in a "60 Minutes" meeting with new executive producer Nick Bilton on Monday, claiming she was at the network to "kill" the program, and got into a heated exchange with the producer.

“I’m only interested in working in a newsroom that is built on trust and mutual respect; we cannot do our work without it," Weiss told the newsroom on the morning call, per the New York Times. "That foundation was broken on Monday."

Bilton was reportedly responsible for firing Pelley, who he accused of "hijacking" his Monday meeting with staff to question his qualifications and said he treated him with "remarkable incivility and contempt."

Pelley had rejected Bilton's assertion that Weiss loved the network, according to an audio recording, and that she lacked qualifications for the job. The former correspondent also claimed Bilton, who was a former New York Times tech columnist, had slim qualifications for his job as executive producer.

Weiss also praised Pelley's storied career at the network on the morning call, per the New York Times, particularly his interview with former Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse and his story on Havana Syndrome.

“Those are the kind of stories that have always typified ‘60 Minutes,’ and they’re the kind of stories that Nick Bilton is going to put on the air come September in Season 59 with the amazing team that’s still there,” she said.

Pelley's firing is the latest in a series of shake-ups at the network and the "60 Minutes" program. Weiss also recently dismissed two of the program's correspondents, Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.