Former US President Donald Trump has argued that the network cut the vice president’s answers to make her sound “less incoherent”
CBS News has acknowledged editing US Vice President Kamala Harris’ ‘60 Minutes’ interview, stating that the edits aimed to ensure her responses were “clear, accurate, and on point.” However, the broadcaster rejected former President Donald Trump’s claims that the edits were “deceitful.”
In a preview of the interview broadcast on ‘Face the Nation’ earlier this month, interviewer Bill Whitaker questioned Harris on whether she believed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was disregarding US guidance amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Harris’ initial response was extended and less concise, stating that “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.”
When the full interview aired the following day, Harris’ answer was edited to a shorter and clearer “we are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.”
Trump expressed strong disapproval, accusing CBS of concealing Harris’ “virtually incoherent” answer and demanding that the network lose its broadcast license and be sold “to the highest bidder.”
CBS remained silent on the matter until Sunday, when it issued a statement asserting that its editing was not “deceitful.”
“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,” the network explained.
”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 explanation did not appease the Trump campaign. “60 Minutes just admitted to doing exactly what President Trump accused them of doing,” the campaign stated. “They edited in a different response – from another part of her answer – to make Kamala Harris sound less incoherent than she really was. Their statement is not a denial, it is an admission that they did exactly what they were accused of.”
“This is another reminder of how hopelessly biased 60 Minutes is, and how correct President Trump was to decline their invitation to be subjected to their fake news hackery,” the statement continued.
CBS stated that its invitation to Trump remains open, should he desire “to discuss the issues facing the nation and the Harris interview.”
The network has not provided an unedited video or transcript of the full interview.