CBS News Defends Editorial Call After Leavitt Threat Leaked

The Daily Beast • January 18, 2026 • nation

Key Points:

CBS News defended its editorial independence after a leaked recording revealed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt threatened anchor Tony Dokoupil with a lawsuit if an interview with President Trump was not aired in full.
The 13-minute unedited interview aired in full on CBS Evening News, with Dokoupil questioning Trump on topics like grocery prices, Iran, and immigration, while Trump boasted about his economic record and criticized Vice President Kamala Harris.
CBS has a history of legal battles with Trump, including a $16 million settlement over a 60 Minutes interview with Harris, and the network’s parent company Paramount was sold to Skydance Media, led by Trump ally David Ellison.
Under Ellison’s ownership,