Investigative journalist Catherine Herridge and the union representing workers at CBS News celebrated the return of confidential files after they were reportedly seized upon her firing nearly two weeks ago.
SAG-AFTRA reported on the development and said that they were “pleased to confirm that … our union monitored the return of several boxes containing Catherine Herridge’s reporting materials from her CBS News office in Washington D.C.”
Herridge, they indicated, was reviewing the contents of the boxes, and she shared a statement from the union on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“We welcome CBS News’ reversal which came after SAG-AFTRA’s intervention and widespread media coverage that underscored shared concerns about press freedom and the First Amendment,” they wrote. “The resolution of this matter sends a strong message of protection for basic First Amendment principles.”
The Political Insider reported that CBS had seized Herridge’s files, computers, and records, but promised that they would not go through them and that the documents were locked in her office.
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Herridge Was Investigating Hunter Biden
The firing of Herridge and the way that it was handled, not to mention the timing, initially raised eyebrows, as she had been investigating an aspect of the Hunter Biden laptop scandal before she was fired.
In addition to the laptop investigation, the award-winning reporter had been covering the House impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, special counsel Robert Hur’s report on his handling of classified documents, and criminal charges against the First Son.
The former Fox News journalist is also in the midst of a First Amendment court case in which she is protecting the identity of a source used for a report written in 2017.
Herridge is facing significant fines if she does not bend to court demands that she be interviewed under oath for the case.
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What Happened With Those Files While CBS Kept Them?
Needless to say, several social media users expressed skepticism that nobody at CBS News touched the files in Herridge’s office during the time that she was blocked from accessing them.
“After copies were made and provided to Hunter Biden’s attorneys,” one person wrote on X.
“Oh please,” another responded. “If there was something they wanted, they copied it. It’s the information that has value, not the original document.”
Radio host Breanna Morello asked, “How much did they see, make copies of, and forward to the Feds?”
“With respect, they got what they wanted,” added Julie Wright.
While there has been no indication that the files were tampered with in any manner, the way CBS handled the firing of Herridge lends itself to conspiratorial concerns.
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