Jordan launches probe into CBS News's alleged seizure of reporter's personal files

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan on Friday launched a probe into CBS News's termination of reporter Catherine Herridge and the network's alleged seizure of her personal files.

"On February 13, 2024, Paramount Global, the parent company for CBS Broadcasting and CBS News, terminated the employment of renowned, award-winning journalist Catherine Herridge," he wrote to CBS News President Ingrid Ciprián-Matthews. He further noted that Herridge had been one of relatively few reporters covering the ongoing investigations of the first family.

"Currently Ms. Herridge is, and at the time of her termination was, engaged in a First Amendment-based legal dispute in which a federal judge threatened to hold her in contempt and levy significant fines if she did not divulge sources who gave her information about a federal investigation," he continued. Jordan went on to highlight the network's "unprecedented move" of allegedly seizing her files, noting that they likely contained confidential materials from her time at CBS and Fox.

Setting a deadline of March 1, he then requested that Ciprián-Matthews arrange for a briefing on the decision to terminate Herridge and to seize her files. He further asked that she provide all communications relevant to the decision and any reviews of her materials.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.