Sen. Bernie Sanders and eight other Democratic senators are urging the top shareholder of CBS News’ parent company not to cave to Donald Trump and settle the president’s meritless $20 billion lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris.
In a letter sent to Paramount Global boss Shari Redstone on Tuesday evening, first reported by The New York Times, Sanders and the other senators wrote that Trump’s complaint – which most legal experts have said is baseless and would likely get tossed out of court – is a “blatant attempt to intimidate the media and those who speak out against him.”
The letter comes as Paramount and Trump’s legal team are currently in mediation to resolve the case out of court, with the company’s executive board already laying out an acceptable monetary amount that they’re willing to pay in a settlement. Redstone, who has now recused herself from the board’s discussion on the case, has long pushed for a settlement in hopes that it will convince the Trump administration to approve Paramount’s merger with Skydance.
“This lawsuit is an attack on the United States Constitution and the First Amendment. It has absolutely no merit and it cannot stand,” the letter stated.
“In the United States of America, presidents do not get to punish or censor the media for criticizing them. Freedom of the press is what sets us apart from tin-pot dictatorships and authoritarian regimes,” the senators continued.
Besides Sanders, the letter was signed by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR). The senators also pointed out that Paramount’s own lawyers recently argued in court that Trump’s suit, which claims CBS engaged in election interference with its editing of the Harris interview, is “without basis in law or fact” and should be dismissed.
“Unfortunately, it appears that Paramount is now seeking to settle this case with Trump for as much as $75 million,” they noted. “In our view, that would be a grave mistake. We urge you and Paramount’s board of directors to reconsider.”
Labeling the case a “bogus lawsuit,” the senators said that “rewarding” Trump with millions of dollars “will not cause him to back down on his war against the media” but rather it would “only embolden him to shakedown, extort and silence CBS” whenever the network reported on issues Trump disliked.
Quoting CBS News legend Walter Cronkite, the senators wrote that “freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy” before making one final plea to Redstone and the board.
“Stand up for freedom of the press and our democracy,” they concluded. “Do not capitulate to this dangerous move to authoritarianism.”
A Paramount spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The letter comes just two weeks after 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens abruptly resigned because of corporate interference, claiming he was unable “to make independent decisions” on the direction of the show. Earlier this year, amid the president’s continued attacks on the show, Redstone installed CBS News veteran Susan Zirinsky as the interim executive editor overseeing standards, which saw Zirinsky serving as a check on Owens and serving as Redstone’s eyes and ears on the show.
Meanwhile, after Trump raged last month about two 60 Minutes segments about Greenland and Ukraine and called for his hand-picked FCC chairman to take action, Redstone contacted Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks and wondered if it was possible to “delay sensitive stories about Trump” until the Skydance deal was sealed.
It would appear that the answer was no. This past Sunday, the newsmagazine ran a lengthy report on how the president is targeting “some of the biggest law firms in the country that he accuses of ‘weaponizing’ the justice system against him,” which included an interview with Democratic attorney Marc Elias, a hated figure in MAGA circles.
The president's anger towards 60 Minutes has only continued to fester this week. Four days after the program was nominated for an Emmy for its editing of the Harris interview, Trump took to his social media platform to gripe about the nod while boasting about his lawsuit.
“[I]n a total slap in the face to anyone who believes in TRUTH and Honest Journalism, this Fake News Puff Piece has now been nominated for an award by the totally discredited Emmys,” the president blared on Truth Social. “Did 60 Minutes and its Corporate Parents apply to get an Emmy for an illegally falsified interview, or did other Fake Outlets nominate them for this dubious ‘honor’?”
Trump added: “These antics are why the American People have no trust in the Press, and demand that the Media, very much including 60 Minutes, CBS, and its owners, be held responsible for their corruption and lies, which is exactly what we are doing in Court!”
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