60 Minutes Responds To Deceptively Editing Kamala Interview Allegations [WATCH]

CBS News has addressed allegations of deceptive editing in its recent “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris.

This marks the first time the network has publicly responded to the controversy that has emerged over the past few weeks.

60 Minutes continues to conceal the unedited transcript of its interview with Kamala Harris. Here, they also lie about the controversy surrounding that transcript. The extent of their deceptive edits must be SIGNIFICANT for them to refuse to release the actual transcript. https://t.co/VqJxWT3DNO

— Mollie (@MZHemingway) October 20, 2024

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In a statement released on Sunday evening, CBS labeled the accusations as “false.”

The controversy began when a preview of the interview aired, appearing to present a different answer from Harris than what was shown in the full interview that aired the following day.

During the interview, host Bill Whitaker asked Harris if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “listening” to the Biden-Harris administration.

In the preview, Harris stated, “Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of, many things including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region.”

However, the version that aired included her saying, “We are not gonna stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.”

Remember Kamala’s word salad answer about Israel on 60 Minutes? It’s gone.

This is what many Americans will now see. pic.twitter.com/H4w7btDv6x

— MAZE (@mazemoore) October 8, 2024

The statement from CBS News clarified the network’s editing process, saying, “Former President Donald Trump is accusing 60 Minutes of deceitful editing of our Oct. 7 interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. That is false. 60 Minutes gave an excerpt of our interview to ‘Face the Nation’ that used a longer section of her answer than that on 60 Minutes. Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response.”

The network emphasized its commitment to clarity and accuracy in its editing practices, stating, “When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate and on point. The portion of her answer on 60 Minutes was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide-ranging 21-minute-long segment.”

In the statement, CBS News also redirected attention to Trump, noting that he had previously agreed to an interview with “60 Minutes” but later canceled.

Trump denied CBS’s framing, asserting that no agreement was in place due to various false statements made by CBS anchor Lesley Stahl during a previous interview in 2020. “Our long-standing invitation to former President Trump remains open,” the statement concluded. “If he would like to discuss the issues facing the nation and the Harris interview, we would be happy to have him on 60 Minutes.”

Despite the network’s defense, CBS has not yet released a full, unedited transcript of the interview with Harris, which has raised further questions among critics.

This statement is an indicator @CBSNews hasn’t contained the fallout from its Kamala Harris @60Minutes edit.

Releasing the full unedited transcript is consistent with journalistic transparency and it stands behind the integrity of the entire Kamala Harris edit, not just the… pic.twitter.com/7HoBtTxQ33

— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) October 21, 2024

In response to the allegations, the Center for American Rights (CAR) has filed a complaint against WCBS, CBS’s New York subsidiary, with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington addressed the matter, noting that while the commission often receives unfounded complaints related to news coverage, the complaint filed on October 16 warrants a thorough investigation.

Simington stated, “The FCC does not regulate, or really even respond to, allegations of politically unfavorable coverage or legitimate editorial discretion. The recent complaint regarding WCBS-TV raises a fully different set of issues regarding whether or not coverage was intentionally distorted: reporting that something was said in response to a question that literally was not. I don’t know whether that’s true, but it’s a different issue.”

Former President Trump has also called for CBS to lose its broadcasting licenses in light of the allegations, suggesting that the interview should be removed from airing. “I’ve never seen anything like it. She gave a horrible, incompetent answer on a news program… and so she gives an answer that shows that she’s dumb or incompetent or something’s wrong with her,” Trump told Fox News on Sunday.

Trump further criticized CBS, stating, “It’s so bad that the people at CBS say we’re going to do a little editing… They take the whole ridiculous answer out, and it was a long answer, and replace it with a much shorter answer that you had to do with a totally different subject, which also didn’t make sense, but it wasn’t as incompetent.”

HOLY SHT: Trump is doubling down on calling for CBS to have its license REVOKED!

Reporter: “You say CBS should lose its license”

Trump: “Sure… I’ve never seen anything like it. She gave a horrible, incompetent answer on a news program.”

“She gives an answer that was shows… pic.twitter.com/LFhut6hxxv

— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) October 20, 2024

As the debate surrounding the interview continues, the response from CBS News and the unfolding details may influence public perceptions of the network’s reporting and its handling of political interviews moving forward.

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