It would be a "grave mistake" for CBS News' parent company, Paramount, to settle a $20 billion lawsuit President Donald Trump filed against it over the editing of a "60 Minutes" interview with Kamala Harris during last year's presidential campaign, according to Sen. Bernie Sanders.
"Rewarding Trump with tens of millions of dollars for filing this bogus lawsuit will not cause him to back down on his war against the media and a free press," Sanders wrote in a letter to Paramount primary shareholder Sheri Redstone, reports The Washington Post Wednesday.
"It will only embolden him to shake down, extort, and silence CBS and other media outlets that have the courage to report about issues that Trump may not like," the letter added.
Paramount last week started mediation talks with Trump representatives about a potential settlement in the case. The company is not commenting on the discussions but a person with knowledge of the situation told The Post earlier this year that the two sides had started preliminary talks and said that Redstone supports reaching a deal.
Sanders' letter was co-signed by eight senators. In it, Sanders said the Trump lawsuit is unconstitutional and has "absolutely no merit."
"We urge you and the board of directors at Paramount to make it clear to President Trump today that Paramount will not surrender to his attack on the First Amendment," he wrote. "Stand up for freedom of the press and our democracy. Do not capitulate to this dangerous move to authoritarianism. Do not settle this case."
Trump sued CBS last October on claims that the network edited an interview with Harris, the Democratic Party's presidential nominee, to "tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party" in the November election.
His initial lawsuit was for $10 billion, but in February, he upped the lawsuit to $20 billion.
Bill Owens, who had been executive producer for several years, stepped down in April over concerns about editorial independence.
Many CBS News journalists and press freedom advocates say a settlement with Trump is a capitulation.
The lawsuit was filed under a Texas law that is meant to protect consumers from false advertising, and was filed after CBS News aired two versions of Harris' answer to one of the interview questions during two different broadcasts.
According to a source with knowledge of the situation said Redstone has recused herself from the discussions about a settlement.
CBS News in February released internal footage and transcripts of the Harris interview after a demand from the Federal Communications Commission, led by Chairman Brendan Carr.
The FCC has said it is examining a "news distortion" claim against the network, which insists that the broadcast was not "doctored or deceitful."
The settlement comes as Paramount is working toward a merger with Skydance, which will also come under review by the FCC.
Trump, meanwhile, has continued to praise the case, saying on Truth Social that it is a "true WINNER" and accusing the network of having "cheated and defrauded the American People at levels never seen before in the Political Arena."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.