Trump's lawsuit against CBS expands after release of '60 Minutes' transcript, adds Paramount as defendant

FIRST ON FOX - President Donald Trump's suit against CBS News was expanded pursuing the merchandise of the unedited transcript and earthy footage of its "60 Minutes" interrogation with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

According to a late-Friday filing from Trump's ineligible squad reviewed by Fox News Digital, the suit is adding CBS News' genitor institution Paramount Global arsenic a defendant, citing however the "60 Minutes" predetermination peculiar was platformed connected its Paramount+ streaming service. Additionally, the suit is adding Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, arsenic a plaintiff. 

"Representative Jackson is simply a user of broadcast and integer quality media contented successful this State, District, and Division, including the broadcast and integer quality media contented from Defendants astatine contented successful this action, and helium has frankincense been injured by Defendants’ behaviour alleged herein," the amended ailment states. 

Trump's attorneys amended its suit to see aggregate excerpts from the unedited transcript successful hopes of bolstering their lawsuit that CBS News withheld unflattering exchanges successful bid to assistance the Democratic nominee. 

"Once Defendants yet released the unedited mentation of the Interview, it became evident that they had engaged successful gross broadcast distortion cover-up and manipulated not lone Harris’s Reply astir Prime Minister Netanyahu, but the Interview successful its entirety," the filing states.

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For example, successful 1 of the exchanges highlighted from the unedited transcript, "60 Minutes" analogous Bill Whitaker pressed Harris connected however the fig of borderline crossings had "quadrupled" successful the archetypal 3 years of the Biden administration. Harris provided different "word crockery answer," Trump's attorneys argued.

"There are a assortment of factors that subordinate to what we person seen globally, and what we are not immune from astatine our ain borderline successful presumption of what we person seen successful presumption of the surge of migration and irregular migration," Harris told Whitaker. "And determination are solutions astatine hand, but we’ve got to person leaders who are solution-oriented, which we've been and are, and I americium going forward, alternatively of leaders who privation to marque it a occupation they tin tally on."

Trump's attorneys besides person filed a FOIA petition to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to get each records pertaining to his suit against CBS News, including from Biden-era FCC seat Jessica Rosenworcel. 

Neither CBS News nor Paramount Global instantly responded to Fox News Digital's petition for comment. 

President Trump's ineligible squad expanded its suit against CBS News aft the merchandise of the unedited transcript of the "60 Minutes" Kamala Harris interview.  (AP Photo; Reuters Photo; Screenshots/CBS News)

On Wednesday, the FCC released the earthy transcript and footage handed implicit by CBS News, which showed CBS News had aired lone the archetypal fractional of Harris' effect to Whitaker's question astir Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not "listening" to the Biden medication successful a preview clip that aired connected "Face the Nation," but aired lone the 2nd fractional of her effect during the primetime special. 

"But it seems that Prime Minister Netanyahu is not listening," Whitaker said successful the October 2024 interview. "The Wall Street Journal said that he— that your medication has repeatedly been blindsided by Netanyahu, and successful fact, helium has rebuffed conscionable astir each of your administration's entreaties."

"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. And we're not going to halt doing that. 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 responded.

Trump's FCC seat Brendan Carr ordered CBS News to manus implicit the unedited transcript arsenic portion of its probe into whether the web violated the FCC's "news distortion" argumentation aft a ailment was filed.

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In the preview clip that aired connected "Face the Nation," Harris was asked wherefore it seemed similar 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. 

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. 

Trump's suit accused CBS News of predetermination interference by aiding then-Vice President Kamala Harris by not airing unflattering portions of her sit-down with "60 News" analogous Bill Whitaker. (Screenshots/CBS News)

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. CBS News refused to merchandise the earthy transcript astatine the time.

Carr said it's "hard to explain" CBS News' conduct. 

"On the 1 hand, CBS instantly released the unredacted transcript of a caller interrogation with Vice President Vance. Yet for months they refused to merchandise the 1 with Vice President Harris," Carr told Fox News Digital. 

Carr referred to CBS News releasing the transcript of "Face the Nation" anchor Margaret Brennan's interrogation with Vice President JD Vance past month.

"The FCC has present opened up a proceeding and is seeking nationalist remark connected the News Distortion complaint. Transparency present is important. The FCC’s reappraisal volition continue, and we look guardant to the public’s feedback," Carr added. 

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Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said CBS News' behaviour is "hard to explain" pursuing the merchandise of the earthy transcript and footage of the network's "60 Minutes" interrogation with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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

"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.

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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. 

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.