CBS seized the confidential files, personal items, and laptop of investigative reporter Catherine Herridge, who was investigating the Hunter Biden laptop scandal when she became one of hundreds laid off last week, the New York Post reported Thursday.
The Post was told by a source within CBS that the move was "unprecedented," adding that CBS informed Herridge what, if anything, would be returned to her.
Further, the documents seized might contain privileged conversations Herridge had with her lawyer and identities of confidential sources, according to the report. Herridge was in the middle of a First Amendment case, in which she refused to identify a source to a court.
"The timing of Herridge's termination immediately raised suspicions in Washington," legal scholar and professor Jonathan Turley wrote in an opinion piece for The Hill.
"She was pursuing stories that were unwelcomed by the Biden White House and many Democratic powerhouses, including the Hur report on Joe Biden's diminished mental capacity, the Biden corruption scandal, and the Hunter Biden laptop," Turley wrote. "She continued to pursue these stories despite reports of pushback from CBS executives, including CBS News President Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews."
A CBS spokesperson told the Post that Herridges belongings will be returned to her soon.
"We have respected her request to not go through the files. And out of our concern for confidential sources, the office she occupied has remained secure since her departure," the spokesperson told the Post. "We are prepared to pack up the rest of her files immediately on her behalf — with her representative present as she requested."
Turley called the approach to her files "heavy-handed," adding it "left many wondering if it was the result of the past reported tension over stories."
"Regardless of motive, the company is dead wrong," he wrote.
SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents CBS staffers, also responded.
"This action is deeply concerning to the union because it sets a dangerous precedent for all media professionals and threatens the very foundation of the First Amendment," the union said in a statement to the Post.
Herridge previously worked for Fox News. And Fox, according to the Post, is paying for her legal counsel. It was at Fox News where she landed on a story in 2017, the saga of which continues.
Herridge's First Amendment fight involved defying "U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper's order to reveal how she learned about a federal probe into a Chinese American scientist who operated a graduate program in Virginia," according to the Post.
She could be fined up to $5,000 a day.
And, according to the Post's sources, CBS could be subpoenaed to reveal the identity of Herridge's source, which CBS could possibly have under guard in her old office.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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