Trump Hits CBS News With Massive Lawsuit Over ‘Deceptive Editing’ Of Kamala’s Interview [WATCH]

Former President Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News, accusing the network of “deceptive conduct” aimed at influencing the presidential election.

The suit centers on an October 16 segment from CBS’s “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris, in which Trump’s legal team alleges that the network manipulated Harris’s response to make it appear different from what she actually said.

The legal dispute arises from a preview clip aired by CBS ahead of the full interview.

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In the preview, interviewer Bill Whitaker asked Harris about Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s engagement with the Biden administration.

Harris responded, “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, when the full interview aired, her answer appeared altered. Harris said, “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.”

CBS just released a statement on this but they won’t release the full transcript.

I just went back and looked at the segment they previewed on October 6th. Check out the word salad about ballistic missiles they cut out of the answer before the one that they replaced… pic.twitter.com/1pKllTyP75

— MAZE (@mazemoore) October 21, 2024

CBS News has pushed back against the allegations, maintaining that both clips represent different portions of the same response and denying any manipulation.

Nonetheless, the network faces an FCC complaint and criticism from media agency veterans who accuse it of engaging in editorial practices that could mislead viewers.

FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington told the Daily Caller that although the FCC often encounters complaints about news coverage, this particular October 16 complaint was unusual and warranted further review. “The FCC does not regulate, or really even respond to, allegations of politically unfavorable coverage or legitimate editorial discretion,” Simington said in his statement to the outlet.

“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.”

Following the airing of the full interview, Trump’s legal team demanded CBS release the complete, unedited transcript of Harris’s conversation with Whitaker.

The network declined to comply, citing First Amendment protections, which it says allow journalistic freedom in editing decisions.

Despite CBS’s response, Trump’s legal team proceeded with the $10 billion lawsuit, alleging that CBS’s actions constitute “malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion calculated to confuse, deceive, and mislead the public.”

A statement from Trump’s attorneys explains the rationale for the lawsuit, claiming, “CBS’ partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference through malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion were calculated to confuse, deceive, and mislead the public.”

Trump’s legal filing further accuses CBS of attempting to “tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party as the heated 2024 Presidential Election — which President Trump is leading — approaches its conclusion.”

The lawsuit also seeks additional penalties, including legal fees and other associated costs, and requests a jury trial.

Trump’s legal team has described the lawsuit as a measure to “redress the immense harm caused to him, to his campaign, and to tens of millions of citizens in Texas and across America by CBS’s deceptive broadcasting conduct.”

CBS has continued to defend its position, releasing a statement asserting that it had not “doctored” the interview and that the program “did not hide any part of the vice president’s answer to the question at issue.”

The network’s representatives have dismissed Trump’s claims as “false,” adding that the network stands by its editorial choices in presenting the interview.

This lawsuit adds another layer to the already intense political and media battles as the 2024 presidential election approaches, with Trump’s campaign alleging media bias and interference, particularly in coverage perceived to favor Democratic candidates.

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