The Monday, July 7, episode of The Every day Present With Jon Stewart featured a dialog between host Jon Stewart and former 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft about Paramount’s resolution to pay Donald Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. Paramount owns Comedy Central, which homes The Every day Present, and Kroft spent 30 years working for 60 Minutes earlier than retiring in 2019.
Stewart stated that the settlement should be “devastating” for many who work for 60 Minutes, to which Kroft replied, “Devastating’s an excellent phrase. I feel there’s a variety of worry over there. Concern of shedding their job, worry of what’s occurring to the nation, worry of shedding the First Modification, all of these issues.”
Then, Stewart confirmed a clip of a Trump interview on Fox Information that was edited right down to air on a morning present earlier than being launched in full and identified that this was the identical factor the president sued Paramount over with its Harris interview.
“I wish to know why the 60 Minutes edit was worthy of a $16 million acquiescence of what’s thought-about the Tiffany information, gold customary community for Paramount of reports, the place, very clearly, Fox simply did what appears to me to be a extra egregious edit?” Stewart requested. “So, clarify to me what was going by the thoughts of Paramount after they stated, ‘Oh, yeah, we screwed up, right here’s your cash’. Why didn’t they struggle it?”
Kroft responded, “They by no means stated, ‘We screwed up.’ They only paid the cash. It was a shakedown, that’s what I name it. Some individuals name it extortion, that’s a authorized time period.”
Stewart questioned if the settlement was made as a result of Paramount is at the moment being bought to Larry Ellison, a person who was associates with Trump, and his son, David Ellison. “Was this settlement only a fee in order that this merger can undergo and never be challenged by Trump’s FCC?” the discuss present host requested his visitor.
“Sure,” Kroft confirmed. “It’s a little bit difficult.” He defined that Shari Redstone, the top of Paramount, desires to promote the corporate, including, “However Donald Trump thought, ‘I’m going to settle the rating right here.’ He’s stated fairly often, ‘I’m going to go after my enemies.’ He was upset with 60 Minutes and he determined that he was going to sue for $16 million {dollars}.”
Stewart stated it “sounds unlawful” for the community to be threatened to not get their multimillion-dollar merger until Trump will get “an amazing sum of money,” and Kroft agreed. “I feel it’s unlawful,” he stated. “I feel it’s a shakedown. It’s not simply me or 60 Minutes otherwise you that thinks this can be a shakedown. It’s just about each reporter who’s checked out this case.”
Kroft added, “I feel [Trump] likes to get even together with his political enemies. He likes to do issues that he feels will intimidate them to cease reporting unhealthy issues about him. I feel it’s so simple as that.”
Watch the complete interview above.
The Every day Present With Jon Stewart, Weekdays, 11/10c, Comedy Central