White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a stark legal warning to CBS News employees, stating President Donald Trump would "sue your a** off" if they did not broadcast his recent interview in its entirety. The confrontation occurred immediately after the former president finished taping a 13-minute sit-down with CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil in Michigan on Tuesday.
A Tense Exchange in Michigan
According to audio obtained by The New York Times, Leavitt approached Dokoupil after the recording, relaying a direct message from President Trump. "He said, 'Make sure you guys don't cut the tape, make sure the interview is out in full,'" Leavitt stated. When Dokoupil assured her, "Yeah, we're doing it, yeah," the press secretary escalated the warning.
She added, "He said, 'If it's not out in full, we'll sue your a** off.'" Witnesses reported that several CBS staff present initially thought Leavitt was joking, with audio revealing sounds of surprise. Executive producer Kim Harvey reportedly replied, "Oh, great, OK!" while Dokoupil attempted to lighten the mood by remarking, "He always says that!" The Times report noted that Leavitt did not laugh in response.
Network Response and Legal Precedent
CBS News told The Independent that the decision to air the interview unedited was made independently when it was booked. A network spokesperson said, "The moment we booked this interview, we made the independent decision to air it unedited and in its entirety." Leavitt later confirmed the report to the Times, stating, "The American people deserve to watch President Trump's full interviews, unedited, no cuts. And guess what? The interview ran in full."
This is not the first legal clash between Trump and the network. He previously sued CBS over the editing of a 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing it of deceptive editing to favour the Democratic nominee. The network's then-corporate parent, Paramount, agreed to a $16 million settlement, a move that drew sharp criticism. Soon after, Trump approved Paramount's sale to Skydance, led by David Ellison.
Leadership Shifts and Editorial Scrutiny
The sale ushered in significant change, with Ellison appointing opinion journalist Bari Weiss, founder of The Free Press, as editor-in-chief of CBS News. This appointment alarmed many veteran journalists due to her lack of broadcast news experience. Critics have questioned whether Weiss is steering the network's coverage to be more favourable to Trump, a claim she denies.
Her editorial judgment recently faced internal scrutiny. She pushed for a story about an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent's alleged injuries after a fatal shooting, despite concerns from journalists. Internal emails seen by The Guardian revealed "internal skepticism at the network" about the report's sourcing, but Weiss expressed a "high level of interest" and the story was published.
Trump has praised Weiss as a "great new leader," and sources told The Independent of a warm, cheek-kissing greeting between them when he appeared on 60 Minutes last year. This relationship continues to fuel debate over the independence and direction of one of America's most established news divisions.
