CBS's parent company Paramount is reportedly entering settlement discussions with representatives of President Donald Trump after he accused "60 Minutes" in a lawsuit of deceptively editing its interview with then Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
Trump's lawsuit alleges that the interview with Harris was selectively edited and “intentionally misled the public by broadcasting a skillfully edited interview” that was “aimed at causing confusion among the electorate regarding Vice President Kamala Harris’s abilities, intelligence, and appeal.” Lawyers for CBS and legal experts have blasted the suit as meritless, noting that not only did Trump not provide any evidence the interview was deceptively edited, but it's unclear that he would even have grounds to sue over it if it had been.
On Thursday, several people with knowledge of the matter told The New York Times that many Paramount executives believe settling with him will boost their chances that the Trump administration doesn't try to block or slow their planned multibillion-dollar merger with entertainment company Skydance.
ALSO READ: Top GOPer's ‘most immediate’ priority for new committee includes probing a MAGA conspiracy
Details of the settlement discussions weren't immediately known.
Among the people supporting a settlement: Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, who would rake in billions of dollars if the sale goes through, according to the report.
This comes after ABC News settled a separate longshot lawsuit brought by Trump against the network, over anchor George Stephanopoulos stating that a jury had found him liable for the rape of E. Jean Carroll. A New York jury did find him guilty of sexual abuse and defamation, and a state judge disputed the legal distinction between sexual abuse and rape in this context; however, the network decided to pay out rather than face an expensive and drawn-out trial, a decision which enraged many employees.
After Meta's massive settlement with Trump, critics on social media blasted Trump for using lawsuits as a "workaround for bribes" and called the practice "open-air corruption."