After Donald Trump‘s continued attacks, 60 Minutes issued a statement today in which pushed back on the former president’s claim that its interview with Kamala Harris was deceitfully edited.
Trump has continuously blasted the show and CBS, even calling for the network’s broadcast license to be revoked, after an answer that Harris gave to a question in a promo for its Oct. 7 election special was different from the one that appeared on the broadcast.
In a statement, the show said, “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. 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.
The show added, “Remember, Mr. Trump pulled out of his interview with 60 Minutes and the vice president participated. Our long-standing invitation to former President Trump remains open. 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.”
The Harris interview ran as part of an election special. According to CBS News, Trump initially agreed to be part of the show, but then backed out of the interview.
After it aired, Trump keyed in on the different Harris answers. CBS News and 60 Minutes did not initially comment, but he appeared to be griping about something that is common practice on newsmagazines, which have to edit extended interviews into a much shorter segment. Trump claimed that the show was trying to help Harris by including a more succinct part of her answer.
But Trump also seized on the edit to call for CBS to lose its broadcast license, something he has done before with other networks that have aired news content he doesn’t like. The FCC licenses stations, not networks, and its chairwoman, Jessica Rosenworcel, said in a statement, “While repeated attacks against broadcast stations by the former President may now be familiar, these threats against free speech are serious and should not be ignored. As I’ve said before, the First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy. The FCC does not and will not revoke licenses for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage.”
