Trump Legal Team Threatens CBS News With Additional Defamation Claim Amid Ongoing ’60 Minutes’ Settlement Talks

The dispute stems from a segment, aired during settlement talks, that likened Trump to a ‘mob boss’

President Donald Trump’s legal team is threatening to slap CBS News and parent company Paramount with a fresh defamation lawsuit over a 60 Minutes segment that likened Trump to a “mob boss” and accused him of criminal bribery.

The May 4 segment covered Trump’s deals with elite U.S. law firms accused of operating “unlawful” diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. It quoted lawyers who compared Trump to a “mob boss … seeking to either exact protection money or engage in other nefarious conduct” and suggested he should be convicted of bribery. And it came as Paramount engaged in active discussions to settle Trump’s suit targeting a separate 60 Minutes segment: its controversial pre-election interview with Kamala Harris.

For Trump’s legal team, the segment was an attempt from CBS to influence the settlement negotiations—one that could prompt an additional suit.

“During ongoing settlement talks, CBS News and Paramount aired a new, defamatory 60 Minutes segment regarding President Trump’s legitimate and necessary executive orders addressing unlawful activity in the legal profession, including election interference and employment discrimination,” Trump attorney Ed Paltzik said in a statement.

“CBS and Paramount’s attempts to subvert the legal process with lies and smears may necessitate additional corrective legal action, which President Trump reserves the right to pursue.”

Should Trump pursue the suit, it would mark another escalation in his fight against CBS. Trump sued the network in November, accusing it of “election and voter interference” for its choppy Harris interview edit. Trump first sought $10 billion in damages; he is now seeking $20 billion.

Lawyers for Trump and Paramount entered talks to settle the suit late last month. Those talks come as Paramount works to close an $8 billion merger with media company Skydance, which requires approval from the FCC.

Paramount chairwoman Shari Redstone reportedly hopes that a settlement will clear the path for the merger’s completion. Her strategy, however, has prompted pushback from top CBS and 60 Minutes staffers. The program’s executive producer, Bill Owens, resigned last month, telling colleagues he was no longer “allowed to run the show as I have always run it.” CBS News president Wendy McMahon followed suit last week, writing in an internal memo that “the company and I do not agree on a path forward.”

60 Minutes host Scott Pelley has so far remained at CBS. He’s also taken public shots at Trump, his supporters, and Paramount. First, Pelley concluded an April episode of 60 Minutes by saying Paramount “began to supervise our content in new ways.” Then, during a commencement address delivered last week at Wake Forest University, Pelley compared “this moment” to the U.S. Civil War, the Second World War, and the Civil Rights Movement and defended the DEI initiatives that Paramount has pledged to end.

“Why attack universities? Why attack journalism? Because ignorance works for power. First, make the truth-seekers live in fear,” he said. “They can make criminals heroes and heroes criminals. Power can change the definition of the words we use to describe reality. ‘Diversity’ is now described as ‘illegal.’ ‘Equity’ is to be shunned. ‘Inclusion’ is a dirty word.”

Pelley’s remarks came one day after 60 Minutes aired its season finale, which was originally set to include a segment taking aim at Trump’s IRS firings. Paramount co-chief executive George Cheeks reportedly considered supplanting the episode in favor of an unrelated special but scrapped the idea. The 60 Minutes finale ultimately did not include the IRS segment, a cut that producers blamed on “new details” that required further reporting.

The show will not return until September, a break that corresponds with Paramount’s settlement negotiations. CBS did not respond to a request for comment.