CBS News has pushed back against former President Trump's claims that “60 Minutes” deceptively edited his interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, dismissing the allegations as “false” in a statement released Sunday. .
After weeks of silence despite growing backlash over the interview, CBS issued a statement Sunday evening addressed the outrage that erupted after a “60 Minutes” interview earlier this month with the Democratic candidate aired two different answers to the same question.
“Former President Donald Trump is accusing 60 Minutes of deceptively editing his Oct. 7 interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. That is false,” the statement began.
“'60 Minutes' published an excerpt of our interview on 'Face the Nation,' which had a longer section of her answers than 60 Minutes did. Same questions, same answers. But , some answers will vary. When we edit interviews with politicians, athletes, movie stars, etc., we strive to be clear, accurate, and to the point. Her answer section was more concise, giving her a broader 21 minutes to cover other topics.
CBS' “60 Minutes'' will air Vice President Harris' two different answers to the same question
Bill Whitaker interviewed Vice President Kamala Harris on an episode of “60 Minutes” that aired last Monday night. (Screenshot/CBS News)
The statement also reminds readers that former President Trump “abandoned an interview with 60 Minutes and was joined by the vice president.” The Trump campaign denied formally accepting the interview invitation.
“The long-standing invitation to former President Trump remains open,” the statement continued. “If he would like to discuss issues facing the country or the interview with Mr. Harris, he would be happy to appear on 60 Minutes.”
The statement came hours after President Trump demanded that the interview be taken off air during a scathing sit-down interview with Fox News' Howard Kurtz.
'60 Minutes' criticized for editorial decision by Kamala Harris has a history of liberal controversy'
“I've never seen anything like that. She gave horribly incompetent answers on the news show…so she gives answers that show she's stupid or incompetent or something is wrong.” President Trump said early Sunday. “It was so bad that the CBS guys said they were going to edit it a little bit… They deleted the whole ridiculous answer and it was a long answer and had to be completely edited out. I replaced it with a short answer” on a different subject, which also didn't make sense, but wasn't as incompetent. ”
CBS News has been at the center of controversy in recent days over a tense interview about Israel on “CBS Mornings” and an edited exchange in a “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton, Screenshot/CBS News)
CBS News is I've had a fever for the past few days For airing two different answers to the same question during a “60 Minutes” interview with Harris earlier this month. Bill Whitaker questioned why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Harris when footage of Harris serving a long “word salad” on CBS's “Face the Nation” was aired to promote the “60 Minutes” sit-in. Harris was ridiculed by conservatives when she asked if she looked like that. Didn't listen to America
CBS accused of 'serious and intentional news distortion' in FCC complaint over '60 Minutes' editing
However, the vice president's lengthy answer did not make the version aired on “60 Minutes” Monday night, instead showing Harris' short answer to the same question. The American Rights Center, also known as CAR, filed a formal complaint with the FCC, arguing that the discrepancy “constitutes intentional distortion of the news and violates FCC rules governing broadcasters' public interest obligations.”
Former President Trump tweeted last week on Truth Social: “Big Fake News Scam by CBS and 60 Minutes.
“Her real answer was crazy or stupid, so they actually replaced it with a different answer to save her, or at least make her look better. It's a completely illegal fake news scam.” he accused.
“Take away the CBS license,” he continued. “Election interference. She's an idiot and the fake news media is trying to hide that fact. An unprecedented scandal!!! Democrats let this happen so they'll have no choice but to concede the election? Amazing! ”
Trump further criticized the liberal network in a speech at the Detroit Economic Club.
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“The other big news is the fraud that 60 Minutes and CBS engaged in in conjunction with Democrats. I predict this will be remembered as the biggest scandal in broadcast history,” Trump said. spoke.
Fox News' Brian Flood, Joseph A. Wulfsohn and Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
