The CBS News show “60 Minutes” responded on Sunday to former President Trump’s claims that the network selectively edited an interview with his Democratic opponent, Vice President Harris, to make her look good.
“Former President Donald Trump is accusing 60 Minutes of deceitful editing of our Oct. 7 interview with Vice President Kamala Harris,” the show wrote. “That is false.”
In a statement, “60 Minutes” acknowledged it gave fellow CBS News show, “Face the Nation,” a “longer section” of Harris’s answer to air in response to a question on the war in Gaza, but the show maintained that the substance of the exchange did not change.
“Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response,” the statement read.
“When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate and on point,” the statement continued. “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 noted that the Republican candidate pulled out of his scheduled “60 Minutes” interview, and the statement reaffirmed the offer to Trump to join the show for an interview.
“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.”
CBS News, after the initial broadcast, later provided a transcript of Harris’s remarks online, but Trump and his allies have repeatedly criticized the outlet for airing the abridged version of her conversation with journalist Bill Whitaker.
A Trump campaign spokesperson described the television show as “hopelessly biased” following the release of the Sunday statement.
“60 Minutes just admitted to doing exactly what President Trump accused them of doing,” the spokesperson said. “They edited in a different response – from another part of her answer – to make Kamala Harris sound less incoherent than she really was.”
On Friday, Trump amplified his concerns and threatened to sue CBS News over the interview.
“So I think I’m going to sue them actually. I think so. No, you know what, they can’t defend it and if they do and even if they win it’s going to be very embarrassing,” Trump told podcast host Dan Bongino.
Updated at 10:17 p.m. EDT
