U.S. President Donald Trump took to social media Tuesday to rub salt in the wounds of CBS News by announcing he has now received the $16 million settlement amount agreed to earlier this month.
"BREAKING NEWS!" the president wrote. "We have just achieved a BIG AND IMPORTANT WIN in our Historic Lawsuit against 60 Minutes, CBS, and Paramount. Just like ABC and George Slopadopoulos, CBS and its Corporate Owners knew that they defrauded the American People, and were desperate to settle."
Trump sued "60 Minutes" over an October interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris that Trump claimed was edited "completely and corruptly" to change Harris's answers.
The settlement was seen as a way to appease Trump during Paramount's $28 billion merger with Skydance, which required sign-off by the Federal Communications Commission. Political satirist Stephen Colbert called the deal "a big fat bribe," and was fired shortly thereafter.
Trump's post continued, "Paramount/CBS/60 Minutes have today paid $16 Million Dollars in settlement, and we also anticipate receiving $20 Million Dollars more from the new Owners, in Advertising, PSAs, or similar Programming, for a total of over $36 Million Dollars."
Trump called the settlement "another in a long line of VICTORIES over the Fake News Media, who we are holding to account for their widespread fraud and deceit." He then threatened other outlets he has beef with, including The Wall Street Journal, which recently published a story about Jeffrey Epstein that he tried to quash. Trump filed a $10 billion suit against WSJ and owner Rupert Murdoch.
"The Failing New York Times, The Washington Post, MSDNC, CNN, and all other Mainstream Media Liars, are ON NOTICE that the days of them being allowed to deceive the American People are OVER. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
