If it fails, she's not a "mark," and she won't be the "fall guy" for the failure.

The whole point here is for CBS News to “fail” as an active news outlet that finds facts and reports those to the general population. It’s what Weiss wants. It’s what Ellison wants. It’s what Trump wants.

That’s exactly what is happening. CBS News is well on its way to irrelevancy as a member of the fourth estate.

But that is only part of Weiss’ job. The other part is exactly like a mob hit man. They’re expected to take the blame for the hit and protect the boss. If the police catch up to the hit man, the hit man willingly goes to jail and doesn’t implicate the boss as part of the conspiracy.

Weiss may not know it yet, but if there is some fallout for the loss of CBS News’ reputation and a trusted news source, Weiss is the one who must be found at fault, not her bosses, including Ellison. In that sense, she is the designated fall guy, just like the hit man.

—Peter