CBS News to Provide FCC with Complete Transcript and Footage of Kamala Harris Interview
President Trump has initiated a lawsuit claiming that CBS News unfairly presented its interview with Kamala Harris to provide her an advantage in the upcoming 2024 election.
CBS News has consented to submit its transcript and camera feeds from an October 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, which is at the heart of Trump’s lawsuit, to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Trump’s lawsuit asserts that CBS News intentionally edited the interview segment to enhance Harris’s appeal as she approaches the November 2024 election.
The “60 Minutes” interview preview aired on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on October 5, featuring a longer version of Harris’s response regarding Israel. However, the full “60 Minutes” episode broadcast on October 6 included a more concise version of her answer.
In addition to Trump’s legal action against CBS News, the FCC has received several complaints related to the editorial decisions made in the “60 Minutes” interview.
However, Rosenworcel’s successor, Trump appointee Brendan Carr, has revived the FCC complaint regarding CBS News in light of the controversy surrounding the Harris interview.
CBS News indicated in its January 31 statement that Carr had requested the raw footage and transcripts from the interview.
“We are working to comply with that inquiry as we are legally obligated to do,” CBS News stated.
The contention over the Harris interview records could significantly affect CBS’s operations. Trump’s lawsuit against CBS News is seeking up to $10 billion in damages concerning the editorial choices made.
Although Trump has accused the network of editing the interview for Harris’s political benefit, CBS News contended that the cuts were made to allocate time for other discussion points during the October 6 “60 Minutes” broadcast.
In December 2024, in a different matter, ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos reached an agreement to allocate $15 million for Trump’s presidential library, offer an additional $1 million for his legal fees, and issue an apology following a defamation lawsuit Trump brought against the network.