House Judiciary Committee To Investigate Seizure Of Journalist’s Files

House Republicans along with many media watchers are aghast at CBS News’ firing of respected investigative journalist Catherine Herridge, who conducted a series of probes into the Biden family’s questionable activities.

And the House Judiciary Committee is keenly interested in the left-wing network’s seizure of her files when she was terminated.

Herridge was fired along with 800 of her colleagues despite a sterling reputation as an investigative reporter. But it’s CBS’ confiscation of her files, which include investigations into alleged financial misdeeds by the Biden family, that has Republicans up in arms.

Committee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) sent a letter to CBS News President Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews on Friday. He noted Herridge’s work in probing the Hunter Biden laptop scandal and the Biden family in general.

Jordan also recounted a current controversy in which Herridge is embroiled.

He wrote, “Currently Ms. Herridge is…engaged in a First Amendment-based legal dispute in which a federal judge threatened to hold her in contempt and levy significant finds if she did not divulge sources who gave her information about a federal investigation.”

There is currently no word of a response.

The network took control of the journalist’s files, computers and records. CBS News is believed to now have details on privileged sources she utilized. 

This followed a termination that surprised many of her colleagues. One former CBS reporter said they are “confused why [Herridge] was laid off, as one of the correspondents who broke news regularly and did a lot of original reporting.”

The source added that he had never known of the records of a journalist on their way out of the door being seized.

He described it as a “chilling signal” to other network reporters.

Another former CBS manager spoke anonymously about the move. To his knowledge, the withholding of files and records was unprecedented.

He said departing journalists previously took all of their files, records and office contents with them. The company would box these materials — everything from coffee cups to post-it notes — and give them to the reporter who was leaving. 

The union, SAG-AFTRA, said it raised these concerns with CBS News and called the seizure “very unusual.”