Sen. Bernie Sanders urges CBS News to 'stand tall' as network reportedly considers settling Trump lawsuit
2025-01-25
Category: political

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is urging CBS News not to "cave" to President Donald Trump as the network is reportedly mulling a settlement to end its legal scuffle with the 47th Commander in Chief.&nbsp; In October, Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News alleging election interference over its handling of the "60 Minutes" interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing the network of aiding his Democratic rival through deceptive editing. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that CBS parent company Paramount Global is considering settling the suit ahead of a planned merger that ultimately must pass muster with the new Trump administration.&nbsp; Sanders took to X on Friday to sound the alarm on the prospects of a settlement.&nbsp; "CBS may be reaching a legal settlement with Trump because he didn't like how a campaign interview with Kamala was edited. Really?" Sanders reacted. "If CBS caves, the belief that we have an independent media protected by the First Amendment is undermined."&nbsp; "CBS: stand tall. Support the Constitution," the progressive lawmaker added. TRUMP SUES CBS NEWS FOR $10 BILLION ALLEGING ‘DECEPTIVE DOCTORING’ OF HARRIS' ‘60 MINUTES’ INTERVIEW   CBS News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Trump's lawsuit against CBS News stems from an exchange Harris had with "60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker. In a preview clip that aired on "Face the Nation," Harris was asked why it seemed like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t listening to the U.S.&nbsp; "Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of, many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region," Harris responded in the "Face the Nation" clip.&nbsp; CBS NEWS STATEMENT ON CONTROVERSIAL ’60 MINUTES’ EDIT FALLS FLAT ON SOCIAL MEDIA: 'PUBLISH. THE. TRANSCRIPT.' Harris was mocked by conservatives for&nbsp;offering a lengthy "word salad"&nbsp;to Whitaker. But when that same question aired the following night in the primetime election special,&nbsp;a shorter, more focused answer&nbsp;from the vice president followed. "We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end," Harris said in the primetime special.&nbsp;  Critics accused CBS News of editing Harris' "word salad" answer to shield the vice president from further backlash, and there were calls for the network to release the full transcript after it only shared transcripts of what had aired.&nbsp; "To paper over Kamala’s ‘word salad’ weakness, CBS used its national platform on 60 Minutes to cross the line from the exercise of judgment in reporting to deceitful, deceptive manipulation of news," the lawsuit stated. Trump attorneys argued the edits were done in an effort to "attempt to tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party as the heated 2024 Presidential Election — which President Trump is leading — approaches its conclusion."&nbsp; GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS AND ABC APOLOGIZE TO TRUMP, FORCED TO PAY $15 MILLION TO SETTLE DEFAMATION SUIT &nbsp; "CBS’ partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference through malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion calculated to confuse, deceive, and mislead the public," the lawsuit read.&nbsp; WSJ reported that Paramount is considering making a deal with the president as it pursues a merger with Skydance Media in hopes to prevent potential retribution by Trump's FCC, which has the authority to halt the multibillion-dollar transaction.&nbsp;  Rumors of a settlement comes just weeks after ABC News settled its defamation lawsuit filed by Trump, resulting in giving him $15 million and a written apology.&nbsp; Trump sued the Disney-owned network last year after an exchange its anchor George Stephanopoulos had with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on the Sunday morning news program "This Week." During the interview, Stephanopoulos claimed ten separate times Trump was found "liable for rape," when the jury in the E. Jean Carroll civil case actually determined him to be liable for "sexual abuse," which has a distinct definition under New York law. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Despite the defiant posture Stephanopoulos took early on, 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 Presidents of the United States of America have established in the past." Additionally, the network will pay $1 million in Trump's attorney fees. Stephanopoulos and ABC News also had to issue statements of "regret" as an editor's note at the bottom of an article on ABC News' website. Liberal critics accused ABC News of "bending the knee" to Trump and setting a bad precedent, something Sanders is arguing would happen with CBS News settling with the president.&nbsp;