October 31, 2024
In a high-stakes legal move, former President Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News, alleging that a recent “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris was manipulated to portray her in a favorable light. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, accuses CBS of “partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference through malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion.”
“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 reads. CBS News has yet to respond to requests for comment.
Trump and his allies have criticized CBS for omitting an answer Harris provided about the Gaza conflict, arguing that her response would have significantly impacted viewers’ perception of her position. While the complete interview was posted online, only parts of it aired, a standard practice among broadcast outlets to maintain clarity and brevity in televised interviews with high-profile figures.
The controversy surrounding this lawsuit highlights Trump’s ongoing adversarial relationship with mainstream media, a dynamic that has intensified following multiple lawsuits and criticisms against outlets he claims hold bias against him. Trump had initially agreed to a similar interview with “60 Minutes,” but reportedly withdrew after CBS insisted on fact-checking his statements in real-time.
The lawsuit was filed in Amarillo, Texas, which falls under the jurisdiction of U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk. Kacsmaryk, appointed by Trump, has previously presided over several high-profile cases, including rulings that temporarily suspended the federal approval of the abortion pill mifepristone and reinstated Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” asylum policy. By filing in a single-judge district, Trump’s legal team ensured the case would come under Kacsmaryk’s review.
This lawsuit against CBS is the latest in a series of legal actions taken by Trump against mainstream media, as he and his allies continue to allege that the network’s coverage constitutes partisan interference in the upcoming election.
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