Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers have sent a letter to CBS News demanding the release of the transcript from the “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. This latest threat of litigation escalates the ongoing conflict between Trump and the network over the editing of one of Harris’ responses.
The CBS legal department addressed the letter following the network’s acknowledgment of the interview’s edits in a statement on Sunday, Oct. 20.
“President Trump was accurate in his assertion that the ’60 Minutes’ interview with Vice President Kamala Harris — which aired in two different versions on Oct. 5 and 6 — was doctored to mislead the American people ahead of the election,” Trump attorney Edward Paltzick said. “CBS’s Oct. 20 statement confirmed that edits were made to make Harris’s answers appear more ‘succinct.’”
In the two weeks since the interview aired, there have been calls for the network to release the full transcript.
Trump reiterated this demand and requested that CBS preserve all communications and documents related to the interview. He said his team was “contemplating litigation” if the full interview isn’t released.
CBS has rejected allegations that it was deceitful in its editing practices or that it favored the vice president.
“’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,’” the “60 Minutes” statement said. “Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response. When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or a movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate, and on point. The portion of her answer on ’60 Minutes’ was more succinct, allowing time for other subjects in a wide-ranging 21-minute-long segment.”
With two weeks until Election Day, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is weighing in on the matter. The FCC chair has dismissed Trump’s claims, calling his rhetoric a threat to free speech. However, one of the four commissioners has advocated for an investigation into the “60 Minutes” interview.
Harris’ response to a question about whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is listening to the Biden-Harris administration differed from the Oct. 6 episode of “Face the Nation” and the Oct. 7 episode of “60 Minutes.“
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