OK. Now I see the problem. We seem to have different beliefs in what constitutes 'Government'. I maintain that you and I and the rest of the People are "the Government", and we elect our representatives to stand in for us to effect governance. While I admit that this seems rather altruistic, I believe it does represent the basis established by the Founding Fathers.
As to the fraud being against CBS, Rather himself admitted that their own experts warned them before they broadcast that there were strong reservations against the documents that they discounted, because it 'felt' like the type of thing Killian would have said. That Rather did not divulge those expert misgivings during the initial broadcast tells me he and CBS willingly supported and permitted this fraud to occur. Knowing receipt of a forged instrument is a crime, and has the same or similar penalties attached as the creation of the forgery.
Well, we probably hold the same principles. But it is undeniable that there is a difference between the Federal Government, and the citizens that it works for. You and I can't grant broadcasting licenses, or patents, we can't arrest people, or incarcerate them, etc. So, there is a difference between defrauding the government (which in principle is getting over on all of the public), and defrauding a business entity.
CBS is supposed to use care so that it doesn't broacast propaganda based in fraud, but it didin't. Even if it hadn't crossed this line, a person would have to have a very closed mind to accept what CBS puts out as an accurate reflection of reality.
My reference to "fraud on CBS" was that if CBS paid money for the forgeries, on the pretext they were authentic, then CBS got taken. I don't think that reflects facts, I think CBS was suspicious, and ran it anyway, for whatever reasons and rationalization.
In an alternative scenario, CBS get documents, examines them, concludes they are forged, and never uses them. They know they received forgeries, but so what? Thy have a heads up that a certain source is not reliable.