Herridge was among the 20 CBS News employees fired from the network last week during mass layoffs. Now, staffers say that they are concerned about the network having taken possession of Herridge's personal files, claiming that they might include the identities of confidential sources and materials, and conversations with lawyers.
CBS staffers told the New York Post that they are concerned about the network being subpoenaed to disclose the former reporter's sources, which they say could threaten freedom of the press.
"They never seize documents [when you’re let go]," a source told the outlet. "They want to see what damaging documents she has."
"This is a company that only plays checkers. They don’t play chess," the source added. "They don’t understand the ramifications of their actions."
Another source said that after Herridge had been fired from CBS News, the network boxed up her personal belongings but kept her notes and files. The network reportedly told the reporter that they would debate whether or not they would be returned to her.
Herridge is currently in legal trouble and might face contempt charges for failing to comply with US District Judge Christopher Cooper's order to clarify how she knew of a federal probe involving a Chinese American running a graduate program in Virginia. She worked on this investigation in 2017 when she was employed by Fox News.
Herridge had faced opposition from superiors regarding her coverage of Hunter Biden and had also clashed with CBS News President Ingrid-Ciprian Matthews. The source said it's possible that the network thinks Herridge has information in her personal files that could lead to a wrongful termination lawsuit.
Jonathan Turley, a former CBS legal analyst, first reported about Herridge's documents being seized in a report for The Hill and said: "She was pursuing stories that were unwelcomed by the Biden White House and many Democratic powerhouses, including the Hur report on Joe Biden’s diminished mental capacity, the Biden corruption scandal and the Hunter Biden laptop."
A CBS News spokesperson told the New York Post that they have plans to return the files to Herridge.
"We have respected her request to not go through the files, and out of our concern for confidential sources, the office she occupied has remained secure since her departure," the spokesperson said. "We are prepared to pack up the rest of her files immediately on her behalf – with her representative present as she requested."
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