Most of the legal observers consider the trial of President Trump on the editing of one “60 minutes“Despised as an interview with Kamla Harris. Still, the original company Paramount global There is an angle to settle the case, given that the administration has the power to stall or block its merger Skidance,
Doing this will probably generate a backlash from CBS journalists and others, who will see it as another major media organization, who see the President as President in the hope of doing favor.
“They are ‘not’ settlements’ – they are ‘bribes’ and should be described accurately,” Written by Ian Bassin, a former associate advocate at Obama White House on Bluuski. , Reporting Even states that CBS officials believe this payment will help Trump block his merger. This is a bribe. ,
But even though the President or his library is offered cash payments to the President or his library in the hope of winning the merger of paramount, legal experts say that there is no need to worry about liabilities for bribery.
Richard Painter, a former Ethics lawyer at a law -house atmosphere at Minnesota University and a former Athics lawyer, said, “It is almost impossible to sue anyone as a Kwid Pro Quo under the law of bribery.” ” “You need to show the express kwid pro quo. This is extremely difficult. ,
The federal bribe law does “corrupt” bar to give anything to a public officer with the intention of influencing an official act. For example, former American Sen. Robert Menandez was convicted last year of bribery and other corruption crimes to accept gold bars and a Mercedes in exchange for various acts.
But in the paramount case, the “value of the price” will be clearly nothing as the gold bar. This will be a written legal agreement signed by teams of lawyers. It would be challenging to show that it was only an excuse, and its real purpose was something else.
“I don’t see it as a bribe. I see that as a commercial decision, “a criminal rescue lawyer Dimitri Gorin said, who has handled the cases of federal corruption.” “I think companies are making a cost-profit decision, and they want to stay in a good place with administration.”
Paramount Global and CBS refused to comment.
Trump filed a lawsuit under the Texas Dispative Trade Practice Act last year, arguing that CBS had cheated consumers, including a long portion of Harris. Answer a day later to “60 minutes”.
Under the pressure of the Federal Communications Commission, earlier this month CBS News released a transcript of full interview footage and its sessions with Harris for 7 October. Trump’s newly appointed FCC President, agency’s experienced Brendon car, last month was accelerated to restore the “news deformation” complaint against WCBS-TV New York for the “60-minute” Harris interview.
The CBS said at the time, “Each part shows the substance of the Vice President’s reply,” The CBS at that time said, editing was “not a doctic or fraud.”
The CBS has argued in the court that the first amendment protects its editorial decisions, and Trump has no position to complain about them under a law to ban false advertising.
If paramount was to come on conditions anyway, it would only be the latest compromise. In December, ABC News agreed to pay $ 16 million, including the Trump President’s Library to investigate a $ 15 million investigation to resolve a defamation suit that many observers believe That it could win in court. Last month, Meta agreed to pay $ 25 million to settle Trump’s trial, which was to remove him from Facebook. And this week, X, which was previously known as Twitter, agreed to pay approximately $ 10 million to resolve a similar case.
Norman Eisen, a former morality advocate at the Obama White House, said the settlement of the CBS case would be “legally baseless and an example of advance obedience,” as well as a betrayal of journalism and democratic responsibility.
Esen, a senior partner at the Bruckings Institution, said, “The presence of a Quid Pro Quo to leave the case in exchange for the merger approval, however, would not be sufficient to lead any important legal challenges.” “They are hard to bring and have a high level of evidence.”
“But this does not mean that any of it smells,” he said, seeing the role FCC has played in adding pressure on CBS.
“Inappropriate government pressure is strict,” he said, given that Trump has become “rapidly” in his attacks on media. “CBS should not be such that they add another dangerous examples.”
Is painter written To accommodate their content moderation policies about the pressure of Trump and Biden administration on social media companies, which they see as equally disturbing. He believes that monetary settlements are exactly what the President wants, compared to this, monetary settlements are “champ changes”, which is more controlled by messages reaching the general public.
“The most serious risk is that the President has the power to use his office to influence the contents of media platforms,” ​​the painter said. “At the end of the day, you have the real state control of the media.”
