NEW YORK CITY, New York: CBS has agreed to provide the unedited transcript of its October interview with Kamala Harris to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) amid an ongoing legal battle with President Donald Trump over how the interview was edited and presented.

Trump filed a US$10 billion lawsuit against CBS, claiming the "60 Minutes" segment was deceptively edited to benefit Harris. Reports suggest CBS' parent company, Paramount, has been in settlement discussions with Trump's legal team.

CBS confirmed late last week it would comply with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's request to turn over transcripts and raw footage of the interview for an FCC investigation. The network has historically resisted releasing transcripts of "60 Minutes" interviews to prevent scrutiny of its editing process.

Press freedom advocates and CBS journalists are closely watching the case and the possibility of a settlement. CBS attorneys have denied Trump's claims, calling the lawsuit "completely without merit," and vowed to fight it vigorously.

The controversy began when CBS aired two different responses from Harris to the same question by correspondent Bill Whitaker on "Face the Nation" (October 6) and "60 Minutes" (October 7). CBS explained that each clip was edited for time constraints, pulling from a more extended response by Harris.

Trump's lawsuit, filed in Texas on November 1, accused CBS of "partisan and unlawful acts of voter interference" by allegedly manipulating the footage to favor Harris.

Despite winning re-election just days later, Trump has continued to press the case. CBS has not commented on settlement discussions, which the Wall Street Journal and New York Times reported.

The legal battle comes as Paramount executives seek Trump administration approval for the company's sale to Skydance, a major entertainment firm.

Trump has pursued similar lawsuits against media companies, some of which have already settled. In December, ABC News agreed to pay $15 million toward Trump's presidential library to settle a defamation case over comments made by anchor George Stephanopoulos. Reports also indicate Meta paid $25 million to resolve Trump's lawsuit over its decision to suspend his social media accounts following the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.