CBS blasts Trump's lawsuit as ‘meritless' despite recent $15 million settlement offer
CBS attorneys blasted President Donald Trump's lawsuit as "meritless" on Monday despite recently offering $15 million to make it go away.
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 before the presidential election.
"CBS is up against the wall and is in the desperation zone. The last thing they want is for this case to go to trial," a source close to Trump told Fox News Digital.
Trump Rejects Paramount's $15 Million Offer To Settle Cbs News Lawsuit, Demands Apology
While the two sides have been in mediation in hopes of reaching a settlement, CBS lawyers have continued to simultaneously claim the lawsuit is bogus.
"This is a meritless lawsuit," attorneys for CBS and parent company Paramount Global wrote Monday in a reply to Trump's motion to deny CBS' request to dismiss the lawsuit.
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CBS suggested the plaintiff's opposition indicated it was targeting a news organization for "editorial decisions Plaintiffs dislike," and asked the court to dismiss Trump's amended complaint.
"The chilling effect of Plaintiffs' meritless assault on the First Amendment compels dismissal now," CBS attorneys argued.
Fox News Digital confirmed last month that Trump rejected a $15 million offer to settle. He is seeking a larger payout and an apology from CBS News.
"President Trump is committed to holding those who traffic in fake news, hoaxes, and lies to account. CBS and Paramount targeted the President in an attempt to harm his reputation while committing the worst kind of election interference and fraud in the closing days of the most important presidential election in history. President Trump will pursue this vital matter to its just and rightful conclusion," Trump attorney Ed Paltzik told Fox News Digital.
Cbs News Staffers Rattled By Ceo's Abrupt Exit As Trump Lawsuit Looms Over Network
The months-long legal saga stems from an exchange Harris had in October with "60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker, who asked her why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn't "listening" to the Biden administration.
Harris was widely mocked for the "word salad" answer that aired in a preview clip of the interview on "Face the Nation." However, when Whitaker asked the same question during the primetime special, Harris had a different, more concise response. Critics at the time accused CBS News of editing Harris' "word salad" answer to shield the then-vice president from further backlash leading up to Election Day.
Earlier this year, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr ordered CBS News to hand over the unedited transcript of the interview as part of its investigation into whether the network violated the FCC's "news distortion" policy after a complaint was filed. CBS had refused to release the unedited transcript when the controversy first began.
'60 Minutes' Kamala Harris Interview At The Center Of Trump's Cbs Lawsuit Receives Emmy Nomination
The released raw transcript and footage showed that both sets of Harris' comments came from the same response, but CBS News had aired only the first half of her response in the "Face the Nation" preview clip and aired the second half during the primetime special.
In the months since, CBS News has faced ongoing turmoil. Shari Redstone, Paramount's controlling shareholder who is battling thyroid cancer, is in favor of settling the lawsuit with the president, but recused herself from settlement discussions.
Media observers believe a settlement would pave the way for Paramount's planned merger with Skydance Media in hopes of preventing potential retribution by Trump's FCC, which has the authority to halt the multibillion-dollar transaction.
Fox News Digital's Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report. Original article source: CBS blasts Trump's lawsuit as 'meritless' despite recent $15 million settlement offer
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