Trump Lawyers Claim ‘60 Minutes’ Harris Interview Caused Him ‘Mental Anguish,’ Argue That the ‘First Amendment Is No Shield to News Distortion’ in Motion to Deny Paramount Bid to Dismiss Lawsuit

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Trump’s legal team has raised an objection to Paramount Global’s attempt to dismiss his $20 billion lawsuit against CBS, contending that the misleading edits in a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris do not fall under the protection of the First Amendment.

A few days before the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump brought a lawsuit against CBS, claiming that the interview of Kamala Harris on “60 Minutes” breached a Texas consumer protection law by deceiving voters and causing him significant financial loss personally. The original suit requested $10 billion in compensation, but this was later increased to at least $20 billion when Trump made amendments in February.

In a request to throw out Trump’s lawsuit, Paramount deemed it an attack on the First Amendment that lacked both legal justification and factual support. CBS News has consistently defended their “60 Minutes” broadcast and promotion of Harris’ interview, asserting that it was neither manipulated nor deceptive.

At the same time, legal representatives from Paramount and Trump have been in negotiations to settle a case. Paramount proposed a $15 million settlement, but this offer was turned down by Trump as stated in a Wall Street Journal article. Instead, Trump’s lawyers are demanding at least $25 million, and they also want “60 Minutes” to issue an apology to the president, according to the same report. Furthermore, Trump’s legal team has threatened to file another lawsuit against CBS over their news coverage during these settlement discussions, as mentioned in the WSJ article.

On Wednesday, May 28th, the legal representatives of Donald Trump and his fellow litigant, Representative Ronny Jackson (of Texas), submitted a response objecting to Paramount’s request to throw out the case.

One important aspect of Trump’s legal argument is that the revised versions of the “60 Minutes” interview with Harris are considered commercial speech. According to the lawsuit, CBS, who competes for advertising dollars with Trump’s media ventures like Truth Social’s parent company Trump Media & Technology Group (which the president has a majority stake in), is accused of manipulating the content.

In their court filing, Trump argues that CBS’s actions in the edited Harris interview – such as distorting news and misrepresenting facts – should not be considered editorial judgment. Instead, they see these actions as commercial speech, which caused harm to them. The fact that this commercial speech came from a news organization does not protect CBS from being held accountable under the First Amendment for any damage they may have caused.

“[T]he First Amendment is no shield to news distortion,” according to the Trump team’s filing.

As stated in the submitted document, the editing of the Harris interview on “60 Minutes” caused widespread confusion and emotional distress among viewers, including the plaintiffs. This is due to the perception that a well-known media outlet, allegedly, deceptively manipulated its broadcasts, and then resisted efforts to correct the public record.

As a movie critic, I’ve just reviewed the latest legal drama unfolding in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas – the Trump team’s motion, to be exact. You can find a copy of it right here: [link]. The plot thickens as we delve deeper into this intriguing case!

As a movie enthusiast, I’m keeping a close eye on the unfolding events regarding Paramount’s proposed $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. Recently, three progressive U.S. senators have issued a cautionary notice to Shari Redstone, the major shareholder of Paramount, hinting that any settlement payment by Paramount to the president could be considered as an under-the-table bribe, albeit highly improbable according to legal experts. However, I personally believe it’s wise for Paramount to tread carefully in this matter to avoid any potential legal complications.

As a cinephile, I’m eagerly waiting for the final approval of the Paramount-Skydance deal by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Despite recent speculations, it’s crucial to clarify that Trump-appointed FCC chairman Brendan Carr has emphasized that the agency’s decision regarding Paramount-Skydance is not linked to President Trump’s ongoing lawsuit against “60 Minutes”.

Back in November, during an interview on Fox News, Carr hinted at a potential review of the FCC over the Paramount-Skydance transaction, in light of a conservative group’s complaint against CBS News over the “60 Minutes” Harris interview. However, it’s important to note that Paramount Global has asserted that Trump’s lawsuit is entirely distinct from the Skydance transaction and the FCC approval process.

So, while we eagerly anticipate the FCC’s decision on this significant deal in the world of cinema, let’s keep in mind that it operates independently of any external factors or lawsuits.

According to EbMaster’s report, in February, Redstone suggested that Paramount’s board should consider resolving the lawsuit involving Trump, potentially through mediation. However, Redstone chose not to participate in the board’s deliberations concerning a possible settlement agreement with Trump.

In response to an inquiry from the Federal Communications Commission regarding a complaint about a “new distortion,” CBS News decided to share an uncensored version of the “60 Minutes” interview with Harris, which was aired on October 6, 2024 (you can find it here). They stated that the materials presented proved that, as “60 Minutes” had repeatedly promised to the public, the broadcast was not manipulated or misleading.

The core issues in the Trump lawsuit revolve around a conversation where Bill Whitaker, a correspondent for “60 Minutes,” questioned Harris about the Biden administration’s relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, whom he suggested was disregarding the White House. CBS News aired a more extensive segment of Harris’s response on October 6 during “Face the Nation”, while the broadcast of “60 Minutes” the following day presented a shorter clip from the same answer. According to CBS News, both excerpts accurately represented the content of Vice President Harris’s response.

Previously, Trump filed a lawsuit against ABC News and George Stephanopoulos the year prior, following an incorrect on-air statement that he had been found guilty of rape. (In reality, a New York jury determined that Trump was liable for sexually abusing and defaming author E. Jean Carroll.) In December 2024, Disney and ABC News consented to pay $15 million to settle Trump’s defamation claim along with an additional $1 million in legal expenses.

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2025-05-29 17:20