CBS News parent company Paramount has agreed to settle President Donald Trump's lawsuit that accuses CBS's flagship news program, 60 Minutes, of editing an interview last year to benefit then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris. CBS and Paramount will pay a sum that could exceed $30 million in total, according to a source familiar.
Paramount said it will pay $16 million upfront to cover Trump's legal expenses and donate to his future presidential library, according to multiple reports Wednesday. As part of the settlement, the company also agreed to release full written transcripts of future 60 Minutes interviews with presidential candidates.
In addition to the lump sum payment, it is anticipated that CBS will air eight figures worth of advertisements, PSAs, or similar content promoting conservative causes for free, a source familiar with the negotiations and settlement deal told the Washington Free Beacon. While Paramount's current brass has disputed that provision, the incoming management team that is expected to take over after the company's merger with Skydance plans to honor it, the source said.
Paramount did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
60 Minutes, the most-watched weekly news program in the United States, came under scrutiny after Trump sued in late October, alleging that the show deceptively edited its interview with Harris to boost her 2024 presidential campaign. An unedited transcript of the interview, released by the Federal Communications Commission in February, confirmed that the program heavily condensed several of Harris's lengthy, rambling responses—particularly on Israel.
"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 lawsuit said.
Democrats blasted the settlement, with Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.) calling the move a "bribe" and saying he will be "calling for federal charges" once "Democrats retake power."
A spokesman for Trump's legal team, meanwhile, called the settlement "another win for the American people as [Trump], once again, holds the Fake News media accountable for their wrongdoing and deceit."
"CBS and Paramount Global realized the strength of this historic case and had no choice but to settle," the spokesman said.
The Tuesday settlement comes during a tumultuous period for CBS, as the network grapples with internal unrest and accusations of anti-Israel bias in its coverage.
In April, 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens abruptly resigned after 24 years with the show and 37 years at CBS. Owens called out Paramount, saying he was not "allowed to run the show as I have always run it, to make independent decisions based on what was right for '60 Minutes,' right for the audience," the New York Times reported at the time.
Weeks later, CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon resigned, also criticizing the company's direction. "It's become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward," McMahon wrote in a memo to staffers. "It's time for me to move on and for this organization to move forward with new leadership."
CBS controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, who supported settling with Trump, has voiced her dissatisfaction with the network's anti-Israel coverage. CBS faced scrutiny in particular for a January 60 Minutes segment that criticized Israel's war against Hamas terrorists and relied on sources affiliated with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, whose executive director has openly praised Hamas.