President Trump’s $20 billion defamation lawsuit against CBS News and 60 Minutes appears to have claimed its first scalp on Tuesday, with executive producer Bill Owens announcing his departure from the company to staff via memo to staff. The news outlet has been under pressure from its parent company Paramount Global to settle the election-related suit.
“The fact is that 60 Minutes has been my life,” Owens opined. “My 60 Minutes priorities have always been clear. Maybe not smart, but clear.”
Hinting at pressure from above, Owens huffed that it appeared as though he would not be allowed to run 60 Minutes under their typical business-as-usual approach:
Over the past months, it has also become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it. To make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for…
