Bernie Sanders, Dem senators urge CBS parent not to settle Trump’s ‘bogus’ lawsuit over ’60 Minutes’ edit
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and eight Democratic colleagues sent a letter to Paramount Global controlling shareholder Shari Redstone asking her not to settle President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against CBS News, which they called an “attack on the First Amendment.”
Trump is seeking $20 billion from CBS News and its parent company, Paramount Global, for what he alleged was election interference with how the network edited its interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the days leading up to the presidential election.
As the two sides have entered mediation in hopes of reaching a settlement, Redstone is widely believed to be open to a deal ahead of a planned multibillion-dollar merger with Skydance Media that could be halted by Trump’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
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Sanders, along with Christopher Murphy, D-Conn., Sen. Dick Durbin, D- Ill., Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., called the potential settlement a “grave mistake.”
“Dear Ms. Redstone: As you know, in a blatant attempt to intimidate the media and those who speak out against him, President Trump sued CBS for $20 billion because of a ‘60 Minutes’ interview with Kamala Harris he did not like,” Sanders and the other senators wrote in the letter that has been obtained by Fox News Digital.
“In March, Paramount, the parent company of CBS, did the right thing by filing two motions to dismiss Trump’s case calling it ‘an affront to the First Amendment’ that ‘is without basis in law or fact’ and asserting that: ‘In our system, the remedy for disagreement with political speech one does not like is counter-speech not court-enforced damages under the guise of commercial regulations,’” the letter continued. “We, and most legal experts who have reviewed this case, could not agree more. 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 “presidents do not get to punish or censor the media for criticizing them” in the United States.
“Freedom of the press is what sets us apart from tin pot dictatorships and authoritarian regimes. Unfortunately, it appears that Paramount is now seeking to settle this case with Trump for as much as $75 million. In our view, that would be a grave mistake. We urge you and Paramount’s board of directors to reconsider,” the senators wrote.
“Rewarding Trump with tens of millions of dollars for filing this bogus lawsuit will not cause him to back down on his war against the media and a free press. It will only embolden him to shakedown, extort and silence CBS and other media outlets that have the courage to report about issues that Trump may not like,” the letter continued. “We urge you and the board of directors at Paramount to make it clear to President Trump today that Paramount will not surrender to his attack on the First Amendment.”
The letter concluded: “Stand up for freedom of the press and our democracy. Do not capitulate to this dangerous move to authoritarianism.”
CBS News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The letter was first reported by The New York Times.
