CBS in Hot Water with the FCC, Staff Fumes Over Trump Settlement Talks [WATCH]

CBS News is once again under scrutiny as reports emerge that its parent company, Paramount, may be in talks to settle President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit over the controversial editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris before the 2024 election.

The October 2024 interview sparked controversy after it was revealed that CBS had significantly edited Harris’ response to a question about the Israel-Hamas war.

Critics accused the network of cutting out large portions of her word salad, transforming an incoherent answer into something more polished.

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When the editing became public knowledge, CBS faced widespread backlash, with calls for the network to release the full transcript and unedited footage.

Remember Kamala’s word salad answer about Israel on 60 Minutes? It’s gone.

This is what many Americans will now see. pic.twitter.com/H4w7btDv6x

— MAZE (@mazemoore) October 8, 2024

Former CBS journalist Catherine Herridge was among those demanding transparency.

CBS, however, refused to release the full materials, further damaging its credibility.

Now, CBS employees are reportedly frustrated that Paramount chairwoman Shari Redstone has authorized negotiations to settle Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit over the incident.

According to the Status newsletter, CBS News president Wendy McMahon and “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens have pushed back against the idea of a settlement, arguing that it would undermine press freedom.

CBS STAFFERS ‘FUME’ AS PARAMOUNT CONSIDERS TRUMP SETTLEMENT

CBS News journalists are outraged as Paramount explores settling Trump’s $10B lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala.

Redstone, Paramount’s chair, is pushing to resolve the case, reportedly to smooth the… https://t.co/e7WZh1yoc9 pic.twitter.com/Pl2Oed9Phl

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 31, 2025

The report suggests that Redstone may be motivated by multiple factors, including her interest in securing Trump administration approval for a potential Paramount-Skydance merger.

It was also noted that she has concerns over bias at CBS and its handling of the interview controversy.

Meanwhile, CBS may no longer have a choice about whether to release the full interview.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has now formally requested that CBS turn over the full, unedited transcript and camera feeds from the Harris interview.

A CBS News spokesman confirmed the request on Friday.

“We are working to comply with that inquiry as we are legally compelled to do,” the spokesman stated.

With the FCC investigation underway, the unedited footage is expected to be made public, potentially revealing whether any additional edits were made beyond what has already been exposed.

If Paramount follows through with a settlement, it would mark another legal victory for Trump in his ongoing battles against major media and tech corporations.

Earlier this year, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, agreed to pay $25 million in a settlement after banning Trump’s accounts in 2021.

With CBS now facing federal scrutiny and a potential payout, the fallout from the “60 Minutes” interview continues to grow, raising further questions about the network’s editorial integrity and its handling of politically sensitive content.

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