Paramount Global and CBS have reached an agreement to potentially pay President Donald Trump up to $30 million to resolve his election interference lawsuit against the network.
As part of the settlement, Trump will receive an upfront payment of $16 million. This amount is intended to cover legal expenses, litigation costs, and contributions to charities or libraries as decided by Trump.
Additionally, it’s anticipated there will be more funds allocated for advertisements or public service announcements, supporting conservative initiatives, as reported by Fox News Digital.
A source familiar with the matter indicated that CBS plans to amend its editing policies and implement new mandatory guidelines.
Moving forward, the network is expected to issue full, unedited transcripts of interviews with all presidential candidates.
Those involved in the discussions have referred to this adjustment as “Trump’s rule.”
Trump had previously sought $20 billion from CBS over how they managed his “60 Minutes” interview with then-President Kamala Harris the prior year. CBS does not admit to any wrongdoing in connection with the settlement.
The lawsuit claims that CBS News misled viewers with edited content from Harris’s exchange with “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker.
Harris faced significant backlash for what was viewed as a muddled response in a preview clip aired on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” Critics noted that her more concise answer appeared later during a Primetime Special, leading some to accuse CBS of deliberately misrepresenting the situation to safeguard Democrats from backlash ahead of the elections.
Raw transcripts released by the FCC earlier this year revealed that both versions of Harris’s comments derived from the same response, yet CBS only broadcast the initial part during the preview and saved the second part for later.
CBS News has consistently denied any fraudulent actions linked to the broadcast and its reporting.
In an effort to reach a mutual agreement, Paramount and Trump’s legal team engaged in mediation. Paramount’s Shari Redstone aimed to settle the lawsuit before a major merger with Skydance Media, perhaps to avoid retaliatory actions from Trump’s FCC.
Trump, in April, had touted the lawsuit against CBS as a “winner.”
He expressed frustration, declaring that CBS had misled Americans politically. He pointed out that Harris had answered questions during critical moments before the election.
Senator Bernie Sanders, along with eight other Democratic senators, wrote to Redstone in May urging against settling the lawsuit, labeling it a “serious mistake” and accusing Trump of trying to intimidate media outlets.
They emphasized, “The president should not retaliate against or censor the press for its criticisms.”
Earlier this year, FCC Chair Brendan Kerr mandated that CBS provide the unedited transcript for an investigation into potential violations of the FCC’s “news distortion” guidelines, though CBS initially resisted releasing the full transcripts until the FCC intervened.
Trump’s legal team has added multiple excerpts from unedited transcripts in their amended lawsuit, attempting to demonstrate that CBS had selectively withheld favorable exchanges to benefit Democratic candidates.
The situation has created some disruption within CBS News, as longtime “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens departed in April after reportedly failing to make independent decisions crucial for the show’s success. Owens, who previously claimed CBS had no issues editing Harris, opposed offering any apology to Trump.
Meanwhile, CBS News president and CEO Wendy McMahon is thought to be against aligning with Trump, having recently announced her departure in a move she indicated was necessary for new leadership.
It’s worth noting that ABC also settled a defamation lawsuit with Trump for $15 million in December after he accused them of “rape liability” during a civil trial last year.
