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Breaking News: President Donald Trump has significantly expanded his lawsuit against CBS News in light of the recent release of the unedited transcript and raw footage from his contentious ’60 Minutes’ interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
According to a filing from Trump’s legal team on Friday, the lawsuit now names CBS News’ parent company, Paramount Global, as a new defendant. This addition relates to how the ’60 Minutes’ election special was featured on Paramount’s streaming service, Paramount+. Furthermore, the lawsuit has also included Representative Ronny Jackson from Texas as a plaintiff.
The amended complaint argued that, “Representative Jackson is a consumer of broadcast and digital news media content in this State, District, and Division, including the broadcast and digital news media content from Defendants at issue in this action, and he has thus been injured by Defendants’ conduct alleged herein.”
Allegations of Editing and Manipulation
Trump’s legal team revised the lawsuit to incorporate various excerpts from the unedited transcript. They aim to underscore the claim that CBS News intentionally withheld unflattering segments to favor the Democratic nominee.
The filing contends, “Once Defendants finally released the unedited version of the Interview, it became apparent that they had engaged in gross broadcast distortion cover-up and manipulated not only Harris’s Reply about Prime Minister Netanyahu, but the Interview in its entirety.”
For instance, in the highlighted exchanges from the unedited transcript, correspondent Bill Whitaker confronted Harris regarding how the number of border crossings had “quadrupled” during the initial years of the Biden administration. Trump’s attorneys stated that Harris’s response was akin to a “word salad,” lacking clarity.
Harris explained, “There are a variety of factors that relate to what we have seen globally, and what we are not immune from at our own border regarding the surge of immigration and irregular migration. And there are solutions at hand, but we need leaders who are solution-oriented, which we’ve been and are going forward, instead of leaders who want to make it a problem they can run on.”
FOIA Request Filed
In tandem with the lawsuit, Trump’s attorneys submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This request seeks all records regarding the legal action against CBS News, including those involving Biden-era FCC chair, Jessica Rosenworcel.
As of now, neither CBS News nor Paramount Global has responded to requests for comment on the expanding lawsuit.
Transcripts and Footage Released
On Wednesday, the FCC made available the raw transcript and footage provided by CBS News. This material revealed that the network aired only a partial response from Harris regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not “listening” to the Biden administration. In contrast, a different part of her response was featured during the primetime special.
For example, Whitaker challenged Harris during the interview, noting that the Wall Street Journal reported that her administration had been “blindsided” by Netanyahu. Harris then articulated, “The work that we have done has resulted in several movements in that region by Israel, prompted by our advocacy for what needs to happen there.”
The Issue of Editing
Critics have accused CBS News of selectively editing Harris’s earlier exchanges to shield her from public scrutiny. After the biased editing came to light, there were renewed calls for the station to release the full transcript from the interview.
Trump’s FCC chair, Brendan Carr, remarked on CBS News’ handling of the original interview, expressing frustration over the selective release of transcripts. He stated, “On the one hand, CBS immediately released the unredacted transcript of a recent interview with Vice President Vance. Yet for months they refused to release the one with Vice President Harris.”
Legal Ramifications and Potential Settlements
Initially filed in October, Trump’s lawsuit seeks $10 billion, alleging election interference resulting from CBS’s editing choices during the ’60 Minutes’ segment. The lawsuit claims that these actions were designed to manipulate public perception just days prior to the election.
The filing stresses that CBS crossed the line from responsible journalism to deceitful manipulation of news. It accused the network of attempting to sway public opinion in favor of the Democratic Party as the crucial 2024 Presidential Election approaches.
As the lawsuit unfolds, CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, is reportedly weighing the option of settling. This consideration comes in the context of an anticipated merger with Skydance Media, aiming to avert potential backlash from Trump’s FCC, which could jeopardize their multibillion-dollar transaction. According to sources, Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, is advocating for a settlement with the president.
Implications for Broadcast Standards
The consequences of this lawsuit extend beyond Trump’s legal battles. It raises significant questions about broadcast integrity and the standards of journalism expected from major news networks. As public trust in media fluctuates, the outcome of this case may set precedents regarding accountability and transparency in reporting.
