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Top "60 Minutes" producer quits, saying he can no longer run the show as he has in the past

NEW YORK (AP) — The top producer at “60 Minutes” said Tuesday that he is quitting the show, saying that it has become clear that he would no longer be able to run it as he has in the past.
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FILE - Bill Owens takes part in a panel discussion at the Showtime Winter TCA Tour at the Langham Huntington Hotel on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013, in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — The top producer at “60 Minutes” said Tuesday that he is quitting the show, saying that it has become clear that he would no longer be able to run it as he has in the past.

In a memo to staff members, Bill Owens said that he would not be able to make independent decisions based on what is right for the audience.

“Having defended this show — and what we stand for — from every angle, over time and with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward,” he wrote in the memo, first reported by The New York Times.

The show has been under attack from President Donald Trump, who sued the network from $20 billion for the way it edited its interview with Kamala Harris last fall. CBS corporate leaders have been discussing a potential settlement with Trump, which Owens and others at the show have resisted.

David Bauder, The Associated Press