According to reports, a mediator allegedly offered CBS, a subsidiary of Paramount Global, to pay at least 17 million dollars to U.S. President Donald Trump to end a defamation lawsuit for an amount of USD 20 billion. Trump had already rejected a previous offer of 15 million from Paramount.
The agreement, revealed by The Wall Street Journal citing sources close to the case, seeks to close the litigation initiated by Trump against CBS News last year. The lawsuit is due to the network allegedly manipulating for political purposes a 60 Minutes interview with then Vice President and Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, before the 2024 elections, altering the content to benefit the Democratic Party and harm Trump.
CBS News described the lawsuit as a direct attack on press freedom and the First Amendment, and presented the full transcript of the interview to demonstrate that there was no manipulation with partisan intentions, although it was proven that there was.
