In an interview that will air Sunday on
60 Minutes, Cheney, who before his transplant was more "heart device" than human, said his cardiologist disabled the defibrillator's wireless function over concern that terrorists could use it to send a fatal shock. Years after the procedure, Cheney noticed that very scenario play out in an episode of the show
Homeland.
"I was aware of the danger...that existed...I found it credible," Cheney said. "I know from the experience we had and the necessity for adjusting my own device, that it was an accurate portrayal of what was possible."
According to the
60 Minutes website, the interview will be broadcast Sunday, Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT.
In his first interview about his new book,
Heart, he speaks to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, discussing for the first time the revelation that the defibrillator implanted in his chest could be used by terrorists to kill him and was altered to prevent that.
Cheney had his first heart attack over 35 years ago and has been the recipient of many modern heart treatments that seemed to come along at just the right time. He even had a pump attached directly to his heart while awaiting a transplant. He knows luck played a big role in his life. He says Dr. Reiner once made an analogy between the course of Cheney's health and treatment and a person who gets up late and drives to work, but he sees all the traffic lights ahead are red. "'Cheney,'" he says the doctor told him, "'when you get to them, they all turn green.' And that's... a pretty good description," says Cheney.
Apparently there will be no discussion about the hilariously tragic irony of a man who sanctioned torture as a method of interrogation writing a book titled
Heart.
