CBS News’ 60 Minutes hit back at claims by former President Donald Trump that its October 7 interview with Vice President Kamala Harris was edited in a “deceitful” way.
The interview saw Harris sit down with veteran CBS correspondent Bill Whitaker, who quizzed the Democratic nominee on a range of topics, including the situation in the Middle East, gun ownership, and the economy. Trump’s campaign team has since called for the full transcript of the interview to be released, saying that the broadcast was “deceptively edited.”
In a statement released by 60 Minutes on Sunday, it said this claim was “false.”
Following the broadcast, Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the New York Post, “On Sunday, 60 Minutes teased Kamala’s highly-anticipated sit-down interview with this epic word salad that received significant criticism on social media.”
“During the full interview on Monday evening, the word salad was deceptively edited to lessen Kamala’s idiotic response. Why did 60 Minutes choose not to air Kamala’s full word salad, and what else did they choose not to air?”
Leavitt was referencing a response in the aired version of the show to a question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which differed from an earlier promotional clip shared by 60 Minutes.
“The American people deserve the full, unedited transcript from Kamala’s sit-down interview. We call upon 60 Minutes and CBS to release it. What do they, and Kamala, have to hide?” Leavitt added.
Trump, meanwhile, has called for CBS to be investigated.
“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,” 60 Minutes said its statement.
Face the Nation is another news program on CBS that airs weekly on Sunday mornings.
“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 [Harris’] answer on 60 Minutes was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide ranging 21-minute-long segment,” the statement said.
It 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.”
Harris’ campaign previously distanced itself from the controversy surrounding the two interview clips, with an aide telling Variety, “We do not control CBS’s production decisions and refer questions to CBS.”
Newsweek has contacted the Trump campaignfor comment via email outside of standard working hours.
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