CNNs Jake Tapper rips Paramount owner Shari Redstone as CBS fights high-stakes legal battle with Trump
CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Tuesday accused Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of CBS News parent company Paramount, of sacrificing the integrity of the outlet by likely settling a lawsuit President Donald Trump filed against the network.Tapper suggested such a settlement may occur in order for Redstone to protect a possible highly profitable merger with another media giant. “Now, Shari Redstone is the majority owner of Paramount, and she stands to make a fortune if this multibillion-dollar deal, if this merger goes through,” the CNN host said, referring to a possible merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media. Trump is seeking $20 billion in a lawsuit against CBS, alleging election interference over its handling of a “60 Minutes” interview last year with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. The president accused the network of aiding his 2024 Democratic opponent through deceptive editing just weeks before the presidential election.CBS’ parent company, Paramount Global, agreed to mediation, signaling their courtroom feud will result in a settlement. “It seems as if Shari Redstone is likely to bend the knee to Trump and settle this allegedly frivolous lawsuit,” Tapper continued.“‘It’s clear now, in a quest to sell the company, Shari Redstone and others will bow to presidential pressure,'” Tapper said, quoting from a “60 Minutes” source who spoke to CNN. “’60 Minutes’ is one of the crown jewels of American broadcast journalism, and they have no problem crushing it in their race to make a deal and make themselves richer,'” Tapper said, continuing to quote from the source.“This war against the fourth estate journalists is of this piece,” Tapper said.Speaking of “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens, who announced this week that he was quitting the flagship program, Tapper continued, “Owens is not without his critics, of course, but this is not about one man or even about one show.
It‘s about an att...