Ex-Paramount chief feared CBS interview of 'drowsy' Biden would be exposed in Trump lawsuit: Report
Redstone claimed in an interview with the New York Times that some CBS personnel told her in October 2023 that Biden appeared drowsy and had to be prompted to answer questions during an interview with Scott Pelley.
Redstone said she and her son Tyler Korff were worried that CBS would be accused of editing the "60 Minutes" interview to conceal Biden's "failings," as the Times put it, while it battled Trump's accusations of election interference stemming from the show's 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
According to the Times report, the Redstone family worried that cherry-picked raw CBS footage and internal communications exposed in discovery would do more damage than the settlement.
The lawsuit was settled last month, with Trump receiving $16 million upfront to cover legal fees, costs of the case and contributions to his future presidential library or charitable causes.
The settlement sparked an uproar, as many critics thought Paramount was surrendering to expedite its pending merger with Skydance Media, even though the lawsuit was seen as frivolous.
"This case was never as black-and-white as people assumed," Redstone told the Times.
Pelley did say on air at the time that the president seemed tired.
"As we spoke to the president, his secretary of state was in Israel; his defense secretary was at a NATO meeting on Ukraine," Pelley said during the broadcast. "America's oldest president seemed tired from directing all of this."
"It had been a rough week, and we could see it on him," he added.
The Times also reported that other people who witnessed Pelley's interview and reviewed footage believed Redstone's worries about the Biden interview were exaggerated.
At the time and for much of Biden's only term, his defenders insisted he was mentally and physically fit for the job despite his advanced age and visible moments of confusion.
Biden was ultimately forced to abandon the 2024 Democratic nomination, after his mental fitness concerns were laid bare in his only debate with Trump. He was replaced by Harris, who went on to lose the race.
The settlement paved the way for the Federal Communications Commission to approve the long-planned merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media. That allowed Redstone, who controlled more than three-quarters of Paramount's Class A voting shares, to exit the newly formed company.
Redstone told the New York Times the settlement was a "no-brainer."
She recused herself from settlement talks but made it clear that she preferred to reach a deal.
"We may not like the world we live in, but a board has to do what's in the best interest of shareholders," Redstone told the Times.
Fox News Digital reached out to CBS News and a representative of Biden for comment.
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