White House press secretary tells CBS ‘we’ll sue your ass off’ if it edits Trump interview

The Guardian - World NewsEN 3 min read 100% complete by Olivia EmpsonJanuary 18, 2026 at 05:08 PM

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medium article 3 min

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned CBS News that the Trump administration would sue if a recent interview with the former president was not broadcast in its entirety. The threat was made to CBS anchor Tony Dokoupil after he interviewed Trump. This incident follows a $16 million settlement Paramount, CBS's parent company, paid to Trump over the editing of a previous interview with Kamala Harris. The warning has raised concerns about editorial independence at CBS News, particularly under the leadership of editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, who has faced scrutiny for alleged favoritism towards the Trump administration. Weiss's tenure has been marked by controversies, including pulling a segment critical of Trump's administration.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Sharyn Alfonsi 30% Larry Ellison 35% New York Times ×240% David Ellison 40% Kamala Harris 40% Paramount Skydance ×260% Paramount ×370% Tony Dokoupil ×270% Bari Weiss ×575% Karoline Leavitt ×580% CBS News ×385% Donald Trump ×790%

Keywords

interview editing 90% karoline leavitt 90% legal threat 80% cbs news 80% donald trump 70% lawsuit 70% press secretary 70% editorial independence 60% bari weiss 60% media controversy 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

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Source

The Guardian - World News

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90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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interview editing karoline leavitt legal threat cbs news donald trump lawsuit press secretary editorial independence bari weiss media controversy

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