By Grandpa Warrior, @Jimegolfer1
Based on reports surrounding her departure from CBS News, Catherine Herridge did have specific, corroborated information from Hunter Biden’s laptop prior to the 2020 election that she wanted to publish, which she believed was “ready” before the 2022 midterm elections.
However, she did not go public with these allegations at that time because she claimed CBS News executives blocked her from covering the story.
Specific details regarding the information she had includes, Business Communications & Retainers. In October 2020, Herridge and her team uncovered material on the laptop, including a million-dollar retainer from a Chinese energy firm to Hunter Biden. Herridge reported that two sources confirmed that Joe Biden was the person identified as “the big guy” in an infamous May 2017 email, which outlined a 10% stake for him in a deal with a Chinese company. She claimed she had evidence from the laptop showing that Joe Biden may have communicated using personal email addresses, snd reported finding text messages on the laptop featuring the “liberal use of the N-word” by Hunter Biden.
Herridge worked to authenticate the laptop data and, despite initial network resistance, CBS eventually confirmed the data’s authenticity using a forensic firm in November 2022, over two years after she first pursued the story.
Herridge expressed frustration that her reporting was buried, noting that she felt “sick” watching other journalists at her network state that the laptop’s contents could not be verified. After she was fired in early 2024, CBS News seized her files, which, according to reports, may have contained her work on the laptop, leading to a Congressional inquiry.
While she did not go public with these findings at the time she uncovered them due to network obstruction, she has since spoken out about how the story was handled.
by https://x.com/Jimegolfer1/status/2020846711736848864
More from Grandpa Warrior, @Jimegolfer1 …
Catherine Herridge is now able to release her investigative files, as CBS News returned her personal files, notebooks, and other materials in late February 2024 following pressure from her union, SAG-AFTRA, and public outcry.
While CBS initially seized her belongings—including hard drives and notes—and claimed ownership of “work product” produced during her employment, they subsequently returned all materials without having reviewed or copied them, according to a network lawyer.
Evidence & Files Status
In February 2024, a union representative collected multiple boxes of material from Herridge’s office at CBS, which she has referred to as “four large moving boxes weighing over 100 pounds in total”.
Having the physical files back means Herridge has possession of her notes, documents, and other research materials.
She has already begun to use this information, posting photos of the returned files and discussing her findings on her social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter).
While standard media contracts state that work produced for an employer belongs to that employer, there was significant debate regarding whether this extended to confidential sources. CBS ultimately returned the materials, including confidential files, to her.
Legal and Professional Constraints
While she has the files, Herridge remains in an ongoing legal battle regarding a 2017 Fox News investigation (not her CBS work). She was held in civil contempt for refusing to identify a confidential source, and a federal appeals court upheld this decision in October 2025.
Although she has her files, if those files contain information obtained under a promise of confidentiality, releasing that information publicly could still trigger legal action from the sources themselves or the entities involved in her litigation.
Allegations involving former CBS News executives Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews and Mark Lima center on claims of editorial suppression and the unprecedented seizure of investigative files related to Hunter Biden.
Former correspondent Catherine Herridge alleged that news bosses at CBS defied orders from parent company executives to investigate the Hunter Biden laptop scandal. She claimed a 2022 report on the laptop was “shelved” after significant legwork.
Herridge stated she pitched a story on evidence suggesting Joe Biden used personal email addresses for government business, but it was shot down by executives.
Herridge also claimed her bosses blocked an exclusive interview with Elon Musk in early 2023 because they were “afraid” of giving him a live platform.
Following her termination in February 2024, CBS News initially seized Herridge’s files, which contained hundreds of pages of confidential source information.
CBS defended their actions stating the retention was “standard HR practice” and newsroom policy states work product belongs to the company.
Sources alleged Ciprian-Matthews was the decision-maker behind holding the files.
Amid pressure from the SAG-AFTRA union and a House Judiciary Committee probe, files totaling over 100 pounds across four boxes were eventually returned to Herridge.
Both executives have since transitioned out of their primary roles; Ciprian-Matthews resigned in 2024following internal clashes and discriminatory management allegations.
The divergence between America’s corporate media and the new online media (led by X) has never been greater.
Not just two different conversations.
Two different worlds.
People over the age of 55 have no idea what’s going on because they’re still watching ABC/CBS/NBS/Fox.
