FIRST ON FOX – President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against CBS News was expanded following the release of the unedited transcript and raw footage of its “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
An update from Trump’s legal team, reviewed by Fox News Digital on Friday, revealed that the lawsuit now includes CBS News’ parent company Paramount Global as a defendant. This is due to the fact that the “60 Minutes” election special was featured on its Paramount+ streaming service. Additionally, Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, has been added as a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
“Representative Jackson consumes broadcast and digital news media content from Defendants in this State, District, and Division, and has been negatively affected by the conduct alleged in this case,” states the amended complaint.
Trump’s legal team has incorporated several excerpts from the unedited transcript in an effort to strengthen their argument that CBS News deliberately omitted unfavorable parts of the interview to benefit the Democratic nominee.
“After the release of the unedited version of the Interview, it became evident that there was significant distortion and manipulation in not only Harris’s response about Prime Minister Netanyahu but the entire Interview,” the filing indicates.
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One highlighted exchange from the unedited transcript involves “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker pressing Harris about the increased border crossings under the Biden administration. Harris’s response was criticized by Trump’s legal team as another convoluted answer.
Trump’s attorneys have also submitted a FOIA request to the FCC to obtain all records related to the lawsuit against CBS News, including communications with Biden-era FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel.
Neither CBS News nor Paramount Global has responded to Fox News Digital’s inquiry for comment.
President Trump’s legal team expanded its lawsuit against CBS News after the release of the unedited transcript of the “60 Minutes” Kamala Harris interview. (AP Photo; Reuters Photo; Screenshots/CBS News)
On Wednesday, the FCC released the raw transcript and footage provided by CBS News. It exposed CBS News for airing only a portion of Harris’s response about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on “Face the Nation” and “60 Minutes,” potentially distorting her full stance on the matter.
Trump’s FCC chair Brendan Carr demanded the unedited transcript as part of an investigation into potential news distortion by CBS News following a complaint.
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In the “Face the Nation” excerpt, Harris addressed concerns about Netanyahu not listening to the U.S. government, offering a detailed explanation. However, in the primetime special, a shorter response from Harris was aired.
Critics accused CBS News of editing Harris’s complex response to shield her from criticism, prompting calls for the network to release the complete transcript. CBS News initially declined but later released the raw transcript.
Carr criticized CBS News for their inconsistent conduct, particularly in comparison to their release of other interview transcripts. He emphasized the importance of transparency in this matter.
CBS News is reportedly considering settling Trump’s lawsuit to mitigate potential consequences from the FCC and finalize a merger with Skydance Media. Paramount Global’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, is said to be in favor of a settlement.
