‘Stand Tall’: Bernie Sanders Warns CBS Caving to Trump Would Undermine First Amendment

AP Photo/Susan Walsh

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) took to social media on Friday to urge CBS against reaching a legal settlement with President Donald Trump.

Trump has relentlessly attacked the network following its airing of an episode of 60 Minutes featuring former Vice President Kamala Harris. The episode — which premiered in October while the two were campaigning against one another — included a response to a question that was edited for time. Harris’s full response was included in the corresponding episode of 60 Minutes Overtime, a program dedicated to airing parts of interviews that didn’t make the final cut.

Although it’s common practice to edit interviews for time and clarity, Trump and his legal team accused the network of deceptively cutting the interview to make Harris’s responses look better. Trump has continually threatened legal action against CBS and even called for the FCC to revoke its broadcast license.

Now, there’s speculation that CBS could be nearing a settlement with Trump to resolve the matter, similar to ABC’s recent settlement. The senator explained why he viewed that as a mistake.

“CBS may be reaching a legal settlement with Trump because he didn’t like how a campaign interview with Kamala was edited,” Sanders tweeted. “Really? If CBS caves, the belief that we have an independent media protected by the First Amendment is undermined. CBS: stand tall. Support the Constitution.”

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