(The Hill) – The longtime executive producer of "60 Minutes" is leaving the program, writing to staff on Monday he could no longer preside over the Sunday evening show objectively as it faces increasing threats and a multi-million-dollar lawsuit from President Trump.
"My 60 Minutes priorities have always been clear. Maybe not smart, but clear," Bill Owens, executive producer of the CBS News program, wrote to staff in a note obtained by The Hill.
"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," he continued. "To make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for the audience."
Owens said he had "defended this show — and what we stand for — from every angle, over time with everything I could," and would step aside "so the show can move forward."
His resignation comes as CBS News is facing a $20 billion lawsuit filed in U.S. district court in the Northern District of Texas by President Trump stemming from a "60 Minutes" interview with former Vice President Harris that Trump argues was edited to cast her in a favorable light.
CBS's parent company, Paramount Global, is meanwhile currently looking to push through a multi-billion-dollar mega merger with Hollywood giant Skydance, a deal that will need clearance by Trump administration government regulators to hold up.
Rumors of a settlement between Paramount and the president have been circulating for months, with the two sides reportedly hiring a mediator in recent weeks to hammer out a potential deal.
Owens' resignation was first reported by The New York Times, which noted he had previously assured CBS staff he would not apologize as part of any settlement.
"60 Minutes will continue to cover the new administration, as we will report on future administrations," he wrote to staff this week. "We will report from War zones, investigate injustices and educate our audience. In short, 60 Minutes will do what it has done for 57 years."
CBS is one of several broadcast news networks Trump and his FCC has sharpened scrutiny on in recent months, with the president suggesting in a social media post earlier this month they could lose their broadcast license.
In a message to staff of her own, Wendy McMahon, president of CBS News and Stations, said she was "committed to 60 Minutes and to ensuring that the mission and the work remain our priority."