Longtime '60 Minutes' Correspondent Steve Kroft, Jon Stewart Bash Cbs’ Trump Settlement As ‘shakedown’

Longtime "60 Minutes" analogous Steve Kroft and "Daily Show" big Jon Stewart bashed Paramount Global and CBS’ eight-figure colony pinch President Donald Trump arsenic giving into a "shakedown" connected Monday.

Kroft appeared connected Paramount-owned Comedy Central to talk nan colony pinch Stewart, who didn’t propulsion punches erstwhile discussing his ain employer. Kroft, who retired from nan show successful 2019 aft a 30-year run, said his erstwhile colleagues are devastated that CBS and its genitor institution settled Trump’s "election interference" lawsuit. 

"I deliberation location is simply a batch of fearfulness complete there… fearfulness of losing their job, fearfulness of what’s happening to nan country, fearfulness of losing nan First Amendment," Kroft said. 

PARAMOUNT, CBS FORCED TO PAY EIGHT FIGURES, CHANGE EDITORIAL POLICY IN SETTLEMENT WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP

Longtime "60 Minutes" analogous Steve Kroft and "Daily Show" big Jon Stewart bashed Paramount Global and CBS’ eight-figure colony pinch President Donald Trump.

The suit alleged CBS News deceitfully edited a "60 Minutes" question and reply past twelvemonth pinch then-Vice President Kamala Harris in bid to make her look much articulate up of Election Day. Many ineligible experts and Paramount’s ain attorneys insisted nan suit was meritless, but CBS’ genitor institution settled it anyway. 

Kroft and Stewart insisted that "60 Minutes" did thing incorrect and emphasized that CBS didn’t rumor an apology arsenic portion of nan settlement.

"They ne'er said, ‘We screwed up,’ they conscionable paid nan money," Kroft said. 

"It was a shakedown. That’s what I telephone it," he continued. "Some group telephone it extortion."

Paramount's controlling shareholder Shari Redstone reportedly pushed for nan colony successful hopes of paving nan measurement for Trump’s FCC to o.k. a long-planned, lucrative merger pinch David Ellison’s Skydance Media.

Fox News Digital has learned that nan sum being paid to Trump could scope northbound of $30 million, pinch $16 cardinal being paid upfront for his early statesmanlike library, successful summation to different eight-figure allocation group speech for advertisements, nationalist work announcements aliases different akin transmissions, successful support of blimpish causes paid for by nan network’s incoming ownership successful nan future. 

FAIR ELECTION FUND URGES FCC TO HOLD CBS ACCOUNTABLE FOR 'UNLAWFUL CONDUCT’ RELATED TO ’60 MINUTES’ INTERVIEW

Paramount Global and CBS agreed connected Tuesday to settee President Trump’s $20 cardinal predetermination interference suit against nan network.  (Getty Images)

Stewart asked Kroft if nan colony was simply a costs designed successful bid to push nan merger through. The "60 Minutes" icon suggested Redstone "wanted nan waste to spell through" truthful she could pouch astir $2 billion, but Trump planned to "settle a score." 

"He was upset pinch ’60 Minutes,’ and he decided he was going to sue," Kroft said. 

"So nan accusation is, you don’t get your $8 cardinal merger, you don’t get your $2 cardinal payout unless you springiness maine a tremendous magnitude of money," Stewart responded. 

"That strikes maine arsenic – and I’m evidently not a lawyer – but I did watch ‘Goodfellas,’ that sounds illegal," Stewart said. 

Kroft changeable back, "Yes, it does." 

'60 MINUTES' KAMALA HARRIS INTERVIEW AT CENTER OF TRUMP LAWSUIT RUNS AFOUL OF CRONKITE-ERA CBS GUIDELINES

Shari Redstone, CBS genitor Paramount's controlling shareholder.

Paramount has defended nan settlement. 

"Companies often settee litigation to debar nan precocious and somewhat unpredictable costs of ineligible defense, nan consequence of an adverse judgement that could consequence successful important financial aliases reputational damage, and nan disruption to business operations that prolonged ineligible battles tin cause. Settlement offers a negotiated solution that allows companies to attraction connected their halfway objectives alternatively than being mired successful uncertainty and distraction," a Paramount spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

ABC also settled a defamation lawsuit in December pinch then-President-elect Trump for $15 million, aft anchor George Stephanopoulos many times and incorrectly asserted Trump had been recovered "liable for rape" successful a civilian proceedings past year. ABC additionally paid $1 cardinal for President Trump’s ineligible fees. 

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