President Trump mentioned Thursday that CBS needs to be shut down after the community launched the unedited transcript and pictures from the controversial “60 Minutes’” interview of Kamala Harris that’s being probed by the Federal Communications Fee.
“CBS and 60 Minutes defrauded the public by doing something which has never, to this extent, been seen before,” Trump mentioned on Fact Social. “They 100% removed Kamala’s horrible election changing answers to questions, and replaced them with completely different, and far better, answers, taken from another part of the interview.”
Trump claimed that the interview was “election changing stuff,” though Trump went on to beat the Democratic vp.
Trump accused the present of “deceitful” enhancing and “news distortion” in a $10 billion lawsuit in opposition to CBS, after the community aired a promo of the interview by which Harris gave a bumbling, long-winded reply about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Harris’ reply to the identical query within the “60 Minutes” interview was completely different, extra concise and clear, elevating eyebrows that the community edited the piece to assist the presidential candidate. CBS denied any wrongdoing.
Trump within the fall demanded that the Tiffany Community flip over the unedited transcript, which it lastly did on Wednesday amid stress from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who has the ability to revoke the licenses of CBS’ particular person TV stations it owns.
If Carr finds proof of deceptive enhancing, it may affect regulatory approval of Paramount’s $8 billion merger with Skydance, which was set to shut by subsequent month.
“CBS should lose its license, and the cheaters at 60 Minutes should all be thrown out, and this disreputable ‘NEWS’ show should be immediately terminated,” Trump continued in his put up. “This will go down as the biggest Broadcasting SCANDAL in History!!!”
Carr advised Fox Information that the FCC has opened up a continuing and is looking for public touch upon the information distortion grievance.
“Transparency here is important. The FCC’s review will continue, and we look forward to the public’s feedback,” Carr mentioned.
In a query from “60 Minutes” correspondent Invoice Whitaker about what the US may do to cease the Israel-Hamas struggle from spinning uncontrolled, Harris offers a rambling, 140-word reply, in line with the complete transcript.
The model that was broadcast confirmed a succinct, 56-word reply.
One other query about Netanyahu seemingly “charting his own course” whereas defying Biden administration calls to average the navy response was additionally closely edited.
The Harris reply that was broadcast was chopped to only 20 phrases: “The work that we do diplomatically with the leadership of Israel is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles.”
Nevertheless, the complete transcript exhibits Harris giving a long-winded, 179-word reply.
Whereas enhancing for readability is normal, ousted CBS Information investigative reporter Catherine Herridge publicly criticized her former employer.
“@60Minutes did then-VP Harris a favor in the edit room,” Herridge mentioned on X. “Her lengthy, ‘word salad responses’ were heavily condensed into a final broadcast segment that felt succinct and presidential. I clocked one of Harris’ answers at over three minutes.”
She slammed CBS for giving Harris a softball interview, “asking questions such as, ‘Why do you want to be President of the United States?’”
Whereas Herridge mentioned there was “not a journalistic foul an internal edit,” the general public can resolve if the “heavily edited interview” distorted Harris’ efficiency, earlier than asking if then-candidate Trump “would have received the same treatment if he had accepted 60 Minutes invitation.”
After releasing the transcript, CBS mentioned the transcripts “show — consistent with 60 Minutes’ repeated assurances to the public — that the 60 Minutes broadcast was not doctored or deceitful.”
Trump and CBS have reportedly begun “very preliminary” settlement talks over his lawsuit — which has drawn the rancor of community employees.
Shari Redstone, the media heiress who controls Paramount, will reportedly get $1.75 billion as a part of the Skydance deal.
The FCC, an unbiased federal company, points eight-year licenses to particular person broadcast stations, not networks.
