Ex-CBS correspondent Catherine Herridge in talks to join X

Former CBS News senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge is in talks to join X, The Post has learned.

The award-winning journalist — who was controversially fired by CBS News in February in a round of layoffs by corporate parent Paramount — met with X CEO Linda Yaccarino at The Jefferson Hotel in Washington, DC earlier this month, according to a source close with knowledge.

The talks have been described as “preliminary.” A potential deal could see Herridge — known for her aggressive reporting on the Hunter Biden laptop scandal — helm an investigative unit that she could help put together, according to a source close to the situation.

“We are in discussions with many content creators who are interested in joining X in various ways. Catherine Herridge is a great journalist who strongly supports free speech,” X said in a statement, declining to comment further.

Herridge — who also is embroiled in a First Amendment case that’s being closely watched by journalists nationwide — declined to comment.

“Herridge is weighing a number of opportunities,” a source told The Post.

X has been trying to build a high-profile roster of journalists to bring to its platform. It hired former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, and hired ex-CNN host Don Lemon. Lemon’s agreement with the platform was canceled by X boss Elon Musk, however, following a contentious interview with him earlier this month.

Lemon continues to post episodes of his show on X and YouTube, but viewership has cratered from his first buzzy interview with the Tesla CEO.

As for Herridge, joining X could give the journalist freedom to pursue a variety of stories. Sources told The Post at the time, that the Herridge had run into “internal roadblocks” on her reporting of Biden’s laptop from top brass at CBS.

Herridge, who was fired by CBS amid a larger purge at parent Paramount Global last month, found herself in the headlines after the Tiffany Network refused to return her personal files upon her departure.

In an uncharacteristic move, the network held on to Herridge’s files, which contained confidential information on high-profile stories, sources and her First Amendment lawsuit, for roughly two weeks.

Although CBS claimed no one went through her documents, the episode sparked outrage from both the union representing the journalist and the House Judiciary Committee.

While CBS returned the items after the union pressured the network, the House Judiciary Committee is mulling an investigation into the matter.

Since her departure, sources have speculated that Herridge’s exit and the retention of her documents could be retaliatory, as the correspondent sparked the 2021 investigation against CBS News president Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, who signed off on her firing.

Currently, Herridge has appealed US District Court Judge Christopher Cooper’s decision to hold her in contempt for withholding the name of her source for an investigative piece she penned when she was working for Fox News seven years ago.