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Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., urges CBS News not to “give in” to the president Donald Trump as the network is reportedly mulling a settlement to end its legal battle with the 47th Commander-in-Chief.
In October, Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News alleging election interference over its handling of a “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing the network of helping his Democratic rival through fraudulent editing. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that CBS parent company Paramount Global is considering settling the lawsuit ahead of a planned merger that would ultimately have to be reviewed by the new Trump administration.
On Friday, Sanders reached out to X to sound the alarm about the prospect of a settlement.
“CBS may be reaching a legal settlement with Trump because he didn’t like how a campaign interview with Kamala was edited. Really?” Sanders responded. “If CBS goes down, the faith that we have an independent media protected by the First Amendment will be undermined.”
“CBS: Stand Up. Support the Constitution,” the progressive MP added.
TRUMP SUES CBS NEWS FOR $10 BILLION FOR BROUGHT ‘FAKE TRANSMISSION’ OF HARRIS’ 60 MINUTES INTERVIEW
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is urging CBS News not to “give in” to President Trump as his parent company Paramount Global reportedly settles with the 47th commander in chief. (CHARLIE TRIBALLO/AFP via Getty Images)
CBS News did not immediately respond Fox News Digitalrequest for comment.
Trump’s lawsuit against CBS News stems from a conversation Harris had with “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker. In a preview of the clip that aired on “Face the Nation,” Harris was asked why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t seem to be listening to the U.S.
“Well, Bill, the work that we’ve done has led to a number of moves in this region on the part of Israel that have been largely caused by or as a result of many things, including our defense of what should happen in the region,” Harris answered in the “Face the Nation” music video.
Conservatives mocked Harris for offering Whittaker a long “word salad”. But when the same question was aired the next night on a prime-time election special, a shorter, more focused answer from the vice president followed.
“We’re not going to stop doing what’s necessary to make the United States clear about the need to end this war,” Harris said on primetime.
Bill Whitaker’s “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris is at the center of a high-stakes lawsuit launched by President Trump. (Screenshots/CBS News)
Critics accused CBS News of editing Harris’ response is a “word salad.” to protect the vice president from further backlash, and there were calls for the network to release the full transcript after it shared only transcripts of what aired.
“To veil Kamala’s weakness in ‘word salad,’ CBS used its national platform on 60 Minutes to cross the line from opinionated reporting to deceptive, deceptive news manipulation,” the lawsuit said.
Trump’s lawyers argued that the edits were made in an attempt to “tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party as the hotly contested 2024 presidential election, led by Trump, draws to a close.”
“CBS’s partisan and illegal election conduct and voter interference by malicious, deceptive and material misrepresentation of the news to confuse, deceive and mislead the public,” the lawsuit states.
The WSJ reported that Paramount is considering a deal with the president as it pursues a merger with Skydance Media in hopes of averting potential retaliation from Trump’s FCC, which has the power to block the multibillion-dollar transaction.
During the election, President Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News, but now that he’s back in the Oval Office, parent company Paramount Global is considering a settlement. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Rumors of the settlement came weeks after ABC News settled a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump that resulted in a $15 million settlement and a written apology.
Trump sued the Disney-owned network last year after its host George Stephanopoulos spoke to RSC’s Nancy Mays on the Sunday morning news program “This Week.”
During the interview, Stephanopoulos stated ten separate times Trump was found “liable for rape” when a jury in the civil case of E. Jean Carroll was found guilty of “sexual assault,” which has a separate definition under New York law.
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Despite causing Stephanopoulos’ posture was taken early, his bosses at the House of Mouse felt differently. According to the settlement, ABC News paid $15 million as a charitable contribution to “a Presidential Foundation and Museum to be established by or for Plaintiff as established by past Presidents of the United States of America.” In addition, the network will pay $1 million in attorney’s fees to Trump. Stephanopoulos and ABC News also had to publish statements of “regret” as an editor’s note at the bottom of the article on the ABC News website.
Liberal critics have accused ABC News of “kneeling” to Trump and setting a bad precedent, which Sanders says could happen with CBS News’ settlement with the president.
Fox News’ Brooke Syngman and Brian Flood contributed to this report.
