May 19 (UPI) -- CBS News President Wendy McMahon announced Monday her resignation as network head amid an ongoing lawsuit with the network filed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
"It's become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward," McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures, wrote in a memo to staff.
"It's time for me to move on and for this organization to move forward with new leadership," she said, calling the past few months "challenging."
The resignation comes only weeks after Bill Owens, an executive producer of CBS's 60 Minutes, likewise quit the network over similar issues with parent company Paramount.
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"I have spent the last few months shoring up our businesses and making sure the right leaders are in place; and I have no doubt they will continue to set the standard," McMahon wrote.
McMahon has been in the job since 2021.
Her exit arrived as the network is in the middle of negotiations with the president's lawyers in a possible settlement in a Trump-filed lawsuit over last year's 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris that Trump alleged was deceptively edited to depict Harris more favorably, which many legal experts say is without merit.
CBS officials, however, pushed back in a statement saying Trump's claim about the Harris interview was false.
"Championing and supporting the journalism produced by the most amazing stations and bureaus in the world, celebrating the successes of our shows and our brands, elevating our stories and our people," McMahon added, had been "a privilege and joy."
Meanwhile, CBS News president Tom Cibrowski and CBS Stations president Jennifer Mitchell will reportedly now report directly to George Cheeks, the co-CEO of Paramount Global and president and CEO of CBS, as a transition plan gets underway.
It comes as Paramount is attempting to lock down a mega-merger with Skydance in an $8 billion deal that would require Trump administration approval.
According to a memo Cheeks wrote to staff, McMahon will remain with the network for a few extra weeks "to support the transition."
"In a rapidly changing world, Wendy and her teams have worked diligently to articulate a vision and lay a foundation that adapts our news operations for the future," Cheeks said, adding it included advancements in data journalism, community journalism, technology and centralizing editorial decisions designed "to help teams move faster."
