JUST IN: Catherine Herridge Exposes CBS, Reveals Trove Of Documents Seized

Veteran investigative journalist Catherine Herridge exposed CBS News for seizing her reporting files after her abrupt termination, revealing for the first time the staggering volume of materials involved. In a post on Thursday, Herridge shared images of four large moving boxes—over 100 pounds in total—containing sensitive investigative records that she says were unlawfully taken by the network.

Herridge, who had been a senior investigative correspondent at CBS News, disclosed that her files included crucial reporting on politically sensitive topics such as the origins of COVID-19, the Hunter Biden investigations, and the classified documents found at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

“Today, I am releasing photos of the records for the first time so you can see the sheer volume involved,” Herridge wrote on X. “Four large moving boxes, weighing over 100 lbs in total.”

Following her termination in February 2024, Herridge accused CBS News executives of improperly confiscating her investigative materials, which included confidential source information. CBS claimed at the time that it was merely “securing and protecting” the files, with a Paramount lawyer dismissing them as “run-of-the-mill work product.”

via Catherine Herridge on X

But Herridge and others in the journalism community strongly disagreed. She testified before Congress in April 2024, condemning the network’s actions as a “journalistic rape” and a direct attack on press freedom.

The files were ultimately returned to Herridge one year later, thanks to the intervention of SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents broadcast journalists. Herridge credited the union with standing up for investigative journalism, stating that without their involvement, her files may have never been recovered.

via Catherine Herridge on X

“Without SAG-AFTRA, my files would never have been returned,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter), thanking the union for defending free speech and press rights. “I hope no investigative reporter has to suffer a similar injustice in the future,” she finished.

In 2023, Herridge encountered significant legal challenges when U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper found her in civil contempt for not revealing a confidential source linked to her 2017 report on a Chinese American scientist investigated by the FBI. The court enforced a daily fine of $800 until she complied, highlighting the ongoing conflict between legal processes and journalistic freedom.

Herridge’s career faced further upheaval in early 2024 when she was let go from CBS News amid widespread layoffs at the company. CBS also took possession of her reporting materials, including sensitive source information. CBS News returned confidential files to Herridge after increasing pressure from the House Judiciary Committee and SAG-AFTRA, her representing union.

In February 2024, the House Judiciary Committee scrutinized CBS over the dismissal of Herridge, and the seizure of her personal documents. In a strongly worded letter addressed to CBS News President Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, committee chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) demanded that the network disclose the identities of those at CBS or its parent company, Paramount Global, responsible for Herridge’s firing.

“The unprecedented actions of CBS News could deter quality journalism and diminish our country’s dedication to a free press,” the letter noted.

Herridge was one of just 20 CBS News employees terminated in a broader layoff of 800 workers at Paramount Global.