FCC chair says 'all options' open in CBS '60 Minutes' news distortion review

By David Shepardson

The chair of the Federal Communications Commission said Monday "all options remain on the table" in the agency's ongoing investigation into a "60 Minutes" interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr last month rejected a bid from CBS, which is owned by Paramount Global, to dismiss the complaint alleging the Harris interview violated the FCC's "news distortion" rules. Paramount is seeking FCC approval for an $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.

Carr said on Monday he has not yet reviewed the complaints and did not give a timeline for making a decision.

Last week, the long-time executive producer of "60 Minutes" Bill Owens said he was stepping down over concerns about editorial independence.

Owens' departure follows a months-long legal battle with U.S. President Donald Trump, who sued CBS over a "60 Minutes" interview with Harris. Earlier this month, the case entered mediation.

Earlier this month, Trump again attacked "60 Minutes," saying it aired two inaccurate stories about him and pressed Carr to take action.

Carr noted that the 180-day informal deadline to make a decision on the merger is nearing.

"We're simply focused on the record that's before us," Carr said, declining to address a hypothetical question on what he would do if Trump directed him to approve the merger. "We're just going to apply the law and the facts."

CBS did not immediately comment.

Though the agency is prohibited from censorship or infringing the First Amendment rights of media, broadcasters cannot intentionally distort the news.

CBS said the complaint aims to turn "the FCC into a full-time censor of content" which would result in an unconstitutional role and an impossible one for the agency.

In January, Carr reinstated complaints about the "60 Minutes" interview with Harris, as well as complaints about how Walt Disney's ABC News moderated the pre-election TV debate between then-President Joe Biden and Trump.

It also reinstated complaints against Comcast's NBC for allowing Harris to appear on "Saturday Night Live" shortly before the election.

Carr said on Monday he has not decided whether to open those other complaints for public comment. Last month, Carr opened an investigation into the diversity practices of Disney and ABC, saying they may violate U.S. equal employment opportunity regulations.

"There's some concerning things that we've seen there," Carr said.

He also opened a probe into diversity at Verizon.