'60 Minutes' producer defiant as CBS parent company mulls settling Trump lawsuit: 'I will not apologize'

The enforcement shaper of "60 Minutes" remains defiant and CBS News' genitor institution mulls settling a suit waged by President Donald Trump. 

Bill Owens, who has led the long-running programme since 2019, took a pugnacious stance against Trump during a Monday unit meeting, according to The New York Times.

"There person been reports successful the media astir a colony and/or apology," Owens reportedly said. "The institution knows I volition not apologize for thing we person done."

‘60 MINUTES’ TRANSCRIPT AT CENTER OF TRUMP'S LAWSUIT AGAINST CBS IS VITAL TO INVESTIGATION, FCC CHAIR SAYS

"60 Minutes" enforcement shaper Bill Owens is reportedly vowing "I volition not apologize" arsenic CBS News' genitor institution Paramount mulls settling a suit made by President Trump. (Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile for Collision via Getty Images)

CBS News is approaching a deadline acceptable by Trump's Federal Communication Commission president Brendan Carr to manus implicit the transcript of the Kamala Harris "60 Minutes" interrogation astatine the halfway of the controversy. 

"The edit is perfectly fine; let’s enactment that to furniture truthful we tin get connected with our lives," Owens said regarding the transcript, per the Times.

CBS News did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital's petition for comment. 

TRUMP COULD BE ON THE VERGE OF LEGAL VICTORY AGAINST CBS AS SETTLEMENT SPECULATION HEATS UP

In October, Trump filed a $10 cardinal suit against CBS News alleging predetermination interference implicit its handling of the "60 Minutes" interrogation with Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing the web of aiding his Democratic rival done deceptive editing conscionable days earlier the election. 

The suit stems from an speech Harris had with "60 Minutes" analogous Bill Whitaker. In a preview clip that aired connected "Face the Nation," Harris was asked wherefore it seemed similar Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t listening to the U.S. 

"Well, Bill, the enactment that we person done has resulted successful a fig of movements successful that portion by Israel that were precise overmuch prompted by, oregon a effect of, galore things, including our advocacy for what needs to hap successful the region," Harris responded successful the "Face the Nation" clip. 

Bill Whitaker’s "60 Minutes" interrogation with Vice President Kamala Harris is astatine the halfway of a high-stakes lawsuit.  (Screenshots/CBS News)

Harris was mocked by conservatives for offering a lengthy "word salad" to Whitaker. But erstwhile that aforesaid question aired the pursuing nighttime successful the primetime predetermination special, a shorter, much focused answer from the vice president followed.

"We are not going to halt pursuing what is indispensable for the United States to beryllium wide astir wherever we basal connected the request for this warfare to end," Harris said successful the primetime special. 

Critics accused CBS News of editing Harris' "word salad" answer to shield the vice president from further backlash, and determination were calls for the web to merchandise the afloat transcript aft it lone shared transcripts of what had aired. 

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS URGES CBS NEWS TO ‘STAND TALL’ AS NETWORK REPORTEDLY CONSIDERS SETTLING TRUMP LAWSUIT

"To insubstantial implicit Kamala’s ‘word salad’ weakness, CBS utilized its nationalist level connected 60 Minutes to transverse the enactment from the workout of judgement successful reporting to deceitful, deceptive manipulation of news," the suit stated.

Trump attorneys argued the edits were done successful an effort to "attempt to extremity the scales successful favour of the Democratic Party arsenic the heated 2024 Presidential Election — which President Trump is starring — approaches its conclusion."

"CBS’ partisan and unlawful acts of predetermination and elector interference done malicious, deceptive, and important quality distortion calculated to confuse, deceive, and mislead the public," the suit read. 

President Trump's attorneys accused CBS News of predetermination interference successful bid to quell then-Vice President Kamala Harris' "word salad" successful its "60 Minutes" interview. (Left: (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images), Center: Screenshot/60Minutes, Right: (Photo by Andy Manis/Getty Images))

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CBS genitor institution Paramount Global is reportedly considering settling the suit up of a planned merger with Skydance Media successful hopes of preventing imaginable retribution by Trump's FCC, which has the authorization to halt the multibillion-dollar transaction. Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, is reportedly successful favour of settling with the president. 

Rumors of a colony comes conscionable weeks aft ABC News settled its defamation lawsuit filed by Trump, resulting successful giving him $15 cardinal and a written apology, followed by a $25 cardinal colony by Meta. 

Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.