Rita Braver (born April 12, 1948) is an American retired television news correspondent. She worked with CBS News, and is best known for her investigative journalism of White House scandals such as the Iran-Contra affair.
Life and career
Rita Lynn Braver was born to a Jewish familyLos Angeles Times: "Of Secrecy and Paranoia: What Is Inman's Real Story?" by Suzanne Garment January 23, 1994 |Inman named five journalists who had treated him badly: Safire, Tony Lewis, Ellen Goodman, the cartoonist Herblock and Rita Braver. All five are Jewish on April 12, 1948, and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her father died while she was a teenager.CBS News: "Rita Braver's Mother's Day wish" by Rita Braver June 4, 2012 She has two sisters: Bettie Braver Sugar and Sharon Braver Cohen.Washington Post Obituaries: "Bettie Braver Sugar" November 1, 2016 She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in political science, and spent a few years at WWL-TV in New Orleans as a copy girl before moving to Washington, D.C., with her husband and joining CBS in 1972 as a producer.The Washingtonian: "Bob Barnett: Master of the Game - If you’re a big name in Washington, odds are Bob Barnett has done a deal or made a connection for you. If he hasn’t, you can always hope" by Kim Eisler December 1, 2008
From 1983–1993, Braver served as CBS News's chief law correspondent. She broke the story of the John Walker spy ring, as well as that of another spy, Jonathan Pollard. She also led CBS's coverage of the Iran-Contra affair. She served as CBS's chief White House correspondent during Bill Clinton's first term, and since 1998 was a chief national correspondent for Sunday Morning.
She retired from CBS News on March 30, 2025.
Personal life On April 10, 1972, Braver married Washington, D.C., lawyer Robert B. BarnettNew York Times: "Despite Disclosure, a CBS Report Raises Questions" by Jacques Steinberg October 11, 2007 (1946–2025) whom she met in college. They have a daughter, Meredith Jane Barnett (born 1978), who married Daniel Ross Penn in a Jewish ceremony in Washington D.C. on April 6, 2008.New York Times: "Meredith Barnett, Daniel Penn" April 6, 2008
References
External links
Articles at HuffPost Profile at CBS News