“60 Minutes” journalist Scott Pelley launched a fiery attack on President Donald Trump during his May 20 commencement speech at West Forest University, claiming that Trump has undermined the rule of law, journalism, and free speech. Pelley’s comments come as CBS News faces a $20 billion lawsuit from Trump, who alleges the network deliberately edited an interview with Kamala Harris to boost her political standing.
Pelley warned students that “insidious fear” is silencing Americans, claiming that the Trump administration has rewritten words like “diversity” and “equity” to fit its agenda. He declared, “Power can rewrite history with grotesque, false narratives. They can make criminals heroes and heroes criminals. Power can change the definition of the words we use to describe reality.”
Trump’s lawsuit, which began at $10 billion in October 2024 and later doubled, accuses CBS News and “60 Minutes” of omitting key parts of Harris’ interview about Joe Biden’s stance on Israel. The legal battle has already led to the resignation of “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens in April, who cited interference from CBS management. Pelley later accused CBS News and parent company Paramount of undermining journalistic independence, claiming corporate executives were “meddling” with content.
CBS News President Wendy McMahon also stepped down in May, calling it a “challenging time” for the network. Paramount’s Shari Redstone has reportedly pushed to settle the case by offering to sell the company to Skydance, a Hollywood studio.
Trump has continued to blast “60 Minutes” on Truth Social, calling the program “a dishonest political operative disguised as ‘news.’” He has demanded the FCC revoke CBS’s license and levy maximum fines for what he calls their attempt to rig the 2024 election in Harris’ favor.
