Donald Trump is suing CBS for $10 billion over a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris that aired on Oct. 7.
What Happened: According to a CNN report, Trump’s legal team filed suit in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Texas on Thursday, alleging that CBS engaged in “partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference” through the interview. The lawsuit claims that the interview and related programming were intended to “mislead the public and attempt to tip the scales” in Harris’ favor in the presidential election.
The lawsuit also calls for CBS to “publicly release the full, unedited transcript of the interview.” The case was automatically assigned to Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, due to the court’s current case assignment system.
First Amendment attorneys have denounced the lawsuit as “frivolous and dangerous” and “meritless and absurd.” Charles Tobin, a First Amendment attorney, stated, “The Supreme Court has made it crystal clear: the First Amendment leaves it to journalists – and not the courts, the government or candidates for office – to decide how to report the news.”
CBS traditionally offers “60 Minutes” interviews to the presidential nominees of both major parties. Trump’s campaign initially accepted an interview, but the former president later withdrew.
Why It Matters: This lawsuit comes on the heels of Trump’s earlier contemplation of legal action against CBS. As reported by Benzinga on Oct. 18, Trump accused CBS of broadcasting a condensed version of Harris’ discussion with journalist Bill Whitaker, which he believed was manipulated to present Harris positively. CBS has denied this.
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