CBS Changes Interview Policy After Noem Backlash

In the clip that aired on television, Noem said, "Prosecution decisions are always made by the Department of Justice and Pam Bondi’s department, so we will let them do that, although this individual does have criminal charges pending. He has charges pending against him civilly as well. And the one thing that we will continue to do is to make sure that he doesn’t walk free in the United States of America."

The on-air portion edited out the rest of her answer and went to moderator Ed O’Keefe’s next question about whether the government would still seek to deport him to Uganda.

Noem posted her "uncut response" online, noting it had been excluded from the broadcast. The full interview, however, remained available on the show’s YouTube page.

As for the Trump settlement, the president was seeking $20 billion in his lawsuit against CBS over its handling of a "60 Minutes" interview last year with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing the network of election interference leading up to the 2024 contest.

The lawsuit alleged CBS News edited an exchange Harris had with "60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker, who asked her why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn't "listening" to the Biden administration. Harris was widely mocked for the "word salad" answer that aired in a preview clip of the interview on "Face the Nation."

However, when the same question aired during a primetime special on the network, Harris had a different, more concise response. Critics at the time accused CBS News of editing Harris' answer to shield the Democratic nominee from backlash leading up to Election Day.

Trump agreed to receive $16 million upfront to cover legal fees, costs of the case, and contributions to his future presidential library or charitable causes. The president has said another allocation in the eight figures has been set aside for advertisements, public service announcements or other similar transmissions, in support of conservative causes by the network in the future.