Karoline Leavitt Threatened to Sue CBS News’ ‘Ass Off’ Unless Trump Interview Aired in Full
Karoline Leavitt told Tony Dokoupil and CBS News the White House would “sue your ass off” if Donald Trump’s interview with the “CBS Evening News” anchor didn’t air in full, The New York Times reported Saturday.
Leavitt approached Dokoupil soon after Trump finished filming a 13-minute interview this week with a message from the president. “He said, ‘Make sure you guys don’t cut the tape, make sure the interview is out in full,” Ms. Leavitt said, as understood by the Times.
“Yeah, we’re doing it, yeah,” Mr. Dokoupil answered.
She then added, “He said, ‘If it’s not out in full, we’ll sue your ass off.’”
The outlet also reported Kim Harvey, the executive producer of “CBS Evening News,” replied, “Oh, great, okay!” before Dokoupil joked, “He always says that!” in reference to Trump.
The White House and CBS News have not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment.
The interview ran in full Tuesday night. “The moment we booked this interview, we made the independent decision to air it unedited and in its entirety,” CBS News said in a statement to the Times.
Trump previously filed a lawsuit against CBS News in October 2024. The then-presidential candidate alleged there was “deceptive doctoring” by the network of an interview with his political rival, Kamala Harris.
“CBS’ partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference through malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion calculated to confuse, deceive, and mislead the public,” the lawsuit also claimed.
CBS’ parent company Paramount eventually reached a $16 million settlement with Trump. The payment included “plaintiffs’ fees and costs” and a donation for a “future presidential library.” Paramount also pledged that “in the future, 60 Minutes will release transcripts of interviews with eligible U.S. presidential candidates after such interviews have aired, subject to redactions as required for legal or national security concerns.”
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