Democrats are furious after CBS News’ parent company, Paramount, surrendered to President Donald J. Trump, agreeing to pay him $16 million to settle a lawsuit over deceptive editing of a nationally broadcast interview with former VP Kamala Harris.
Trump sued the network over the Democratic presidential candidate’s pre-election sit-down with flagship “60 Minutes,” which he alleged was doctored to benefit her just weeks before Americans went to the polls as the media desperately worked to prop up their preferred candidate.
The president initially sued for $10 billion with his lawyers alleging, “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 amount was later adjusted to $20 billion.
BREAKING: Paramount, CBS’s parent, to pay $16M in settlement over Trump’s lawsuit alleging edited 60 Minutes Kamala Harris interview. pic.twitter.com/QFg4jPjBnh
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 2, 2025
“I am so honored to be suing 60 Minutes, CBS Fake News, and Paramount, over their fraudulent, beyond recognition, reporting. They did everything possible to illegally elect Kamala, including completely and corruptly changing major answers to Interview questions, but it just didn’t work for them,” Trump wrote in an April Truth Social post in which he called for the network to lose its broadcasting license.
The settlement clears the way for a merger of the company and its CBS News subsidiary with independent studio Skydance, reportedly an $8 billion deal.
Described by the New York Times as an “extraordinary concession to a sitting president by a major media organization,” the settlement includes the president’s legal fees and costs, minus the money that would be paid toward Trump’s future presidential library.
Paramount also agreed to release written transcripts of future interviews that “60 Minutes” conducts with presidential candidates. However, the agreement did not include an apology, the outlet reported.
News of the settlement had Democrats spitting mad, with one prominent senator going right to the party’s preferred tactic of lawfare to threaten Paramount with federal charges, claiming that the agreement was effectively a bribe to make the suit go away before the merger.
Paramount just paid Trump a bribe for merger approval. When Democrats retake power, I’ll be first in line calling for federal charges. In the meantime, state prosecutors should make the corporate execs who sold out our democracy answer in court, today. https://t.co/G6gXLQa5Se
— Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) July 2, 2025
“Paramount just paid Trump a bribe for merger approval. When Democrats retake power, I’ll be first in line calling for federal charges. In the meantime, state prosecutors should make the corporate execs who sold out our democracy answer in court, today,” raged Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) in an X post reacting to the New York Times reporting of the deal.
Sen. Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren (D-MA) also suggested that the payout from Paramount was bribery.
This looks like bribery in plain sight.
Paramount folded at the same time it needs Trump’s approval for a billion-dollar merger.
I’m calling for an investigation into whether any anti-bribery laws were broken, and I’m working on a new bill to rein in this kind of corruption. https://t.co/xdkNpe75co
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) July 2, 2025
“This looks like bribery in plain sight. Paramount folded at the same time it needs Trump’s approval for a billion-dollar merger,” she wrote on X. “I’m calling for an investigation into whether any anti-bribery laws were broken, and I’m working on a new bill to rein in this kind of corruption.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) fumed that the settlement will further embolden Trump to call out the media liars and their fake news.
It is a dark day for freedom of the press. Paramount’s decision to settle with Trump will only embolden him to continue his attack on the media.
Trump is undermining our democracy and moving us towards authoritarianism, and the billionaires are helping him do it. pic.twitter.com/FwzW74xN0z
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) July 2, 2025
“It is a dark day for freedom of the press. Paramount’s decision to settle with Trump will only embolden him to continue his attack on the media,” the angry old man raged in a Wednesday statement.
“Trump is undermining our democracy and moving us towards authoritarianism, and the billionaires are helping him do it.” Comrade Bernie said, which is pure hypocrisy from a party that has no problem with billionaires like George and Alex Soros, Reid Hoffman, and others who fund Democrats.
A spokesperson for the president called the settlement “another win for the American people” and said that Trump is holding “the fake news media accountable.”
“CBS and Paramount Global realized the strength of this historic case and had no choice but to settle,” the spokesperson said, according to the New York Times.
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Author: Chris Donaldson
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