Lawyer says Trump suffered 'mental anguish' after CBS interview with Kamala Harris
FILE - Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris debate for the first time during the presidential election campaign at The National Constitution Center
President Donald Trump’s lawyers claim he suffered "mental anguish" from CBS News' editing of a "60 Minutes" interview with Democratic opponent Kamala Harris last year.
Trump has filed a $20 billion lawsuit against the company, claiming the editing was done to help Harris, a claim that CBS rejects. Trump’s "mental anguish" arguments appeared in a court filing opposing CBS parent company Paramount Global’s motion to dismiss.
Why is Trump suing CBS News?
The backstory:
Trump, who did not agree to be interviewed by "60 Minutes" during the campaign, has protested editing where Harris is seen giving two different answers to a question by the show's Bill Whitaker in separate clips aired on "60 Minutes" and "Face the Nation" earlier in the day.
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What they're saying:
Trump's lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, said that "this led to widespread confusion and mental anguish of consumers, including plaintiffs, regarding a household name of the legacy media apparently deceptively distorting its broadcasts, and then resisting attempts to clear the public record."
Trump sues CBS News for $10B over Harris interview
From November 2024: Former President Donald Trump is suing CBS News, stating the network practiced 'deceptive conduct.'
His lawyer argues that Trump’s "content creator" status was also damaged by the interview: Because they were misled, voters withheld attention from Trump and his Truth Social platform, Paltzik argued.
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Trump, described as a "media icon" by his lawyers, was "forced to redirect significant time, money and effort to correcting the public record," he said.
The other side:
CBS said each reply came within Harris' long-winded answer to Whitaker, but was edited to be more succinct.
Will CBS News settle?
Dig deeper:
Even with the effort to dismiss the case, Paramount is engaged in settlement discussions with Trump. The Trump administration must approve the company's proposed merger with Skydance Media. CBS News' president and CEO, Wendy McMahon, and "60 Minutes" executive producer Bill Owens, who both opposed a settlement, have resigned in recent weeks.
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The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Paramount has offered $15 million to settle but that Trump wants more money — and an apology. A company representative would not comment on the report.
What's next:
The Freedom of the Press Foundation, a media advocacy group and a Paramount shareholder, says it will file a lawsuit in protest if a settlement is reached.
Seth Stern, the foundation's advocacy director, said a settlement of Trump's "meritless" lawsuit "may well be a thinly veiled effort to launder bribes through the court system." U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have said they are investigating whether a settlement would violate bribery laws.
The Source: This report includes information from The Associated Press.