’60 Minutes’ Airs Scathing Attack on Trump Despite Warnings From Paramount Bosses

60 Minutes isn’t backing down when it comes to reporting on President Donald Trump, despite Paramount, CBS’ parent company, being embroiled in a legal battle with the government.

Sunday’s (May 4) episode aired a segment focusing on how the Trump administration has targeted law firms who had the nerve to challenge him when he was out of office.

“On the campaign trail, President Trump vowed to wield the power of the presidency to go after his perceived enemies,” read the official description for Sunday’s episode. “Now in the White House, Trump is using executive orders to target some of the biggest law firms in the country that he accuses of ‘weaponizing’ the justice system against him.”

Host Scott Pelley spoke with Marc Elias, a top lawyer who worked for the Hillary Clinton campaign and defeated Trump’s efforts to overthrow the 2020 election results in court. Elias described Trump’s actions as “an assault on the entire legal profession.”

“Donald Trump is the walking embodiment of everything that is wrong with the American political system,” Elias said. “And so, when Donald Trump says that I am unethical or that I am undermining his vision of America, I say, ‘Boy, I must be doin’ something right.’”

He also compared Trump’s executive orders to a mob boss intimidating people in a neighborhood. “The fact is that these law firms are being told, ‘If you don’t play ball with us, maybe somethin’ really bad will happen to you,'” Elias added.

Perkins Coie, Elias’ former law firm, was one of the targets of Trump’s vendetta, accused of “unlawful or unsavory practices” for their connection to investigations into Trump and his allies.

Trump’s executive order against Perkins Coie was blocked last week when a federal judge called it “unconstitutional retaliation.”

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Trump Slams '60 Minutes' Over Latest Episode & Says CBS 'Should Lose Their License'

The scathing 60 Minutes segment comes a week after Pelley told viewers live on air that the show’s longtime producer, Bill Owens, chose to depart after Paramount bosses supposedly asked the program to hold off on stories criticizing Trump. This comes as Paramount Global looks to merge with Skydance Media, a deal that reportedly requires the green light from federal regulators under the Trump administration.

“Our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger. The Trump administration must approve it. Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways,” Pelley said at the end of last week’s show. “Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires… No one here is happy about it, but in resigning, Bill proved one thing—he was the right person to lead 60 Minutes all along.”