In order to resolve a legal battle with US President Donald Trump over an interview it aired on CBS with former Vice-President Kamala Harris, the US media corporation Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16 million (£13.5 million).
In an October lawsuit, Trump claimed that the network had manipulated an interview with Kamala Harris, his opponent in the presidential election, on its 60 Minutes news show in order to “tip the scales in favor of the Democratic party.”
Trump will not receive the money “directly or indirectly” from the settlement of the lawsuit, according to Paramount, but it will be used to fund his future presidential library.
The business pointed out that there is no apology or expression of sorrow included in the payment.
The deal was quickly praised as a “win for the American people” over the “fake news media” by a representative for Trump’s legal team.
“CBS and Paramount Global realised the strength of this historic case and had no choice but to settle,” said a spokeswoman. “President Trump will always ensure that no one gets away with lying to the American people.”
In the past, Paramount-owned CBS claimed the complaint was “completely without merit” and requested that a judge dismiss it. “Not doctored or deceitful” was the key message.
The agreement is the most recent compromise made by a US media organization to a president who has attacked media organizations for what he claims is inaccurate or deceptive reporting.
The Democratic contender was questioned by interviewer Bill Whitaker regarding the Biden administration’s ties with Israel. The allegation goes that the network later broadcast two versions of her response.
One tape appeared on 60 Minutes, and the other on Face the Nation. Trump asserted that one version of Harris’ “word salad” response had been falsely altered to protect her from criticism.
According to CBS, the BBC’s US news partner, Harris’ response was edited for time in compliance with television reporting standards.
When Trump filed the lawsuit, his initial damages claim of $10 billion (£8.5 billion) was later raised to $20 billion ($17 billion).
The business offered $15 million (12.7 million) to resolve the lawsuit in May of this year, but Trump demanded more than $25 million (£21 million).
Paramount said in a statement issued on Tuesday that the settlement sum covered the president’s legal costs and that it had reached an agreement with 60 Minutes to make interview transcripts of potential presidential candidates available to the public.
Resolved prior to the anticipated merger
Both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times claim that the settlement was reached with the assistance of a mediator in order to avoid interfering with Paramount’s proposed merger with Skydance Media, which is under review by the Federal Communications Commission and which Trump is technically able to stop.
Some CBS News officials, including CEO Wendy McMahon, resigned from their positions during the month-long settlement negotiations because they refused to apologize to Trump.
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