Dan Rather on '60 Minutes' Settlement: 'A Sellout to Extortion by the President'

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Daily Beast

Updated Jul. 3 2025 4:03AM EDT
Published Jul. 3 2025 3:44AM EDT


Dan Rather has slammed Paramount Global’s $16 million legal settlement with the Trump administration as “extortion by the president” and a “kneeling-down and saying, ‘Yes, Sir,’ by billionaire corporate owners.” The legendary CBS News anchor told Variety on Wednesday he was “disappointed” but “not surprised” at the decision to settle the lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris.

Trump had demanded $20 billion, claiming the network had distorted the Harris interview by editing a garbled sentence of her talking about Israel’s war in Gaza. 60 Minutes claimed the editing was standard journalistic practice and done purely for timing reasons.

The settlement means Paramount will pay $16 million to Trump’s presidential library, but the media company does not need to apologize. The fee matches the sum Disney paid Trump’s library last year to settle his defamation suit over an interview with GOP Rep. Nancy Mace by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

Rather, 93, told Variety of the situation involving his former network, “It’s a sad day for journalism. It’s a sad day for 60 Minutes and CBS News. I hope people will read the details of this and understand what it was. It was distortion by the president and a kneeling-down and saying, ‘Yes, Sir,’ by billionaire corporate owners.”

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/dan-rather-on-60-minutes-settlement-a-sellout-to-extortion-by-the-president/

[riversedge]

1. Too bad we can't see examples of how fox-the RW have edited their interviews. I have no

doubt they have.

[PatSeg]

9. For sure

They are notorious for editing footage to serve their narrative.

[NewHendoLib]

2. We are just so utterly fucked

[walkingman]

3. Has there ever been a POTUS that has so much power by intimidation over Congress or business

than Trump? I just don't know because most stuff in the past was behind closed doors and Trump proudly does it publically.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. Remember that 45 was the first president in history

to be elected without having served in any previous elected or appointed office (whether municipal/county/state/federal) or as a civil servant, or at least served in the military (like Gen. George Washington, where the "military" is a government position).

So a wildcard like that has taken us into unprecedented territory.

[in2herbs]

6. I keep hearing, and it is reported, that members of Congress are afraid of f47 and that is why he is getting away

with what he is.

I call BS!!!!

During f45s first term the Rs fell over backwards to appease him and I don't at any time remember it being reported that any R was claiming to be afraid of f45.

[PSPS]

7. It's not BS. They know that they'll lose any primary that has a challenger endorsed by trump

The GOP is now 100% MAGA and they will do anything trump tells them to do, even if it's 180 degrees opposite to his previous day's instructions.

[Jacson6]

5. This prove's that oligarchs run government and corporate America. n/t

[The Bopper]

8. What little

I can do, I canceled my Paramount plus account. Not much, but my dollars aren’t paying for President Fascism.

[sueh]

11. I dropped Paramount + months ago because I wasn't

watching it. I was the going to pick it back up to see the finale of Matlock and watch 1923. I won't be renewing now.

[republianmushroom]

10. Dan, nails it.