Owens’ departure comes as President Trump is suing the network, alleging that “60 Minutes” intentionally misled the public in editing an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris about her candidacy for president. The network aired two different portions of Harris’s response to the same question about the conflict in the Middle East — one in an early excerpt on “Face the Nation” and the other on the “60 Minutes” full broadcast.
Mr. Trump initially demanded $10 billion in damages when he filed the lawsuit in October, then upped the demand to $20 billion in February. His lawsuit claimed that millions of Americans “were confused and misled by the two doctored Interview versions.” Constitutional law experts say the lawsuit is “frivolous” and an infringement on First Amendment rights.
Michele Crowe/CBS News 
In a note to staffers today, Owens wrote, “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 the audience. So, having defended this show — and what we stand for — from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward.”
“The show is too important to the country, it has to continue, just not with me as the Executive Producer,” he wrote.
Paramount is also awaiting FCC approval of a merger with Skydance, a deal the companies reached last year that remains pending.
