[reformedliberal]

John:

Which specific laws has CBS broken?

Are these Federal communications laws, election laws, tampering w/military documents?

Where does the liability rest: producer, CEO, shareholders?

What is the probability anyone will be successfully sued?

Who would ideally bring the suit?

What is your opinion of the chances of any real economic repercussions to CBS and the other attendant tanked media?

In your opinion, how does this rank against Watergate and can this bring the media down as they brought a President down?

Thanx for sharing your expertise.

[Congressman Billybob]

You missed my main point. A halfway competent lawyer can probably weasel even Rather out of any criminal charges here. However, the non-legal remedies may be fatal to Rather and CBS, and near fatal to the entire Old Media.

The economic repercussions could be huge, as Viacom/CBS lose big with the public, and eventually throw Rather to the wolves to protect the remnants of their investments. The maximum effect (possible, not probable) is for the lamestream media to recognize that they have just dropped to second place in the US to the new media. At that point, the net media lead, the old media follows, and the NY Times becomes a museum piece.

John / Billybob

[AndyJackson]

Which specific laws has CBS broken?

28 USCode Sec. 506. - Seals of departments or agencies

(a)

Whoever -

(1)

falsely makes, forges, counterfeits, mutilates, or alters the seal of any department or agency of the United States, or any facsimile thereof;

(2)

knowingly uses, affixes, or impresses any such fraudulently made, forged, counterfeited, mutilated, or altered seal or facsimile thereof to or upon any certificate, instrument, commission, document, or paper of any description; or

(3)

with fraudulent intent, possesses, sells, offers for sale, furnishes, offers to furnish, gives away, offers to give away, transports, offers to transport, imports, or offers to import any such seal or facsimile thereof, knowing the same to have been so falsely made, forged, counterfeited, mutilated, or altered,

shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.

[AndyJackson]

18 USC Sec. 2071. - Concealment, removal, or mutilation [of official records]  generally

(a)Whoever willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, or destroys, or attempts to do so, or, with intent to do so takes and carries away any record, proceeding, map, book, paper, document, or other thing, filed or deposited with any clerk or officer of any court of the United States, or in any public office, or with any judicial or public officer of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

(b)Whoever, having the custody of any such record, proceeding, map, book, document, paper, or other thing, willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies, or destroys the same, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both; and shall forfeit his office and be disqualified from holding any office under the United States. As used in this subsection, the term ''office'' does not include the office held by any person as a retired officer of the Armed Forces of the United States.