Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted raids on several restaurants in the Washington, D.C. area. One of the targeted establishments was Chef Geoff’s, a restaurant owned by Geoff Tracy, the husband of former “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell. The raid occurred on May 6, 2025, while the restaurant was open, with ICE agents reportedly requesting employment authorization documents from staff. No arrests were made during the raid.
This incident comes at a turbulent time for CBS News. The network is entangled in a significant $20 billion lawsuit filed by Donald Trump. Trump alleges that a CBS interview with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris was manipulated to portray her favorably. While there’s no public evidence linking the ICE raid to O’Donnell’s connection to CBS, the timing is noteworthy.
The lawsuit against CBS stems from an interview with Harris conducted before the 2024 election. Trump claims selective editing of Harris’s responses unfairly benefitted her, despite winning the election. Legal experts widely deem the lawsuit meritless. CBS released the raw footage and transcript of the interview to comply with an FCC request in 2025, furthering transparency. The FCC continues its investigation into what it terms “news distortion” at CBS News.
The lawsuit is reportedly impacting Paramount Global’s proposed merger with Skydance Media, requiring federal approval. Concerns exist that Trump’s conflict with CBS News could jeopardize the deal. Adding to the internal challenges at CBS, Bill Owens, the executive producer of “60 Minutes,” resigned in April 2024, urging staff to resist government pressure in his farewell message.