Lawyers from CBS News sent a letter to Donald Trump’s legal team that plainly stated the former president has zero grounds to demand access to the network’s full “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.
As CNN reported Wednesday, CBS News senior vice president for legal affairs Gayle C. Sproul declined giving his team access, writing, “Nor is there any legal basis for your demand that we provide you with the unedited transcript of the interview.”
At the heart of the issue is the allegation that CBS News aired two different answers from Harris after she was asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In her answer shown in the interview preview, the U.S. vice president defended American advocacy; in the interview that aired Oct. 7, she answered, in part, that “we are not gonna stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.”
Sproul wrote that Harris’ answer was aired in its entirety — the first part that Sunday, and the second part that Monday. Since the interview, Trump and his supporters have said the network is covering up for Harris and that it edited her response.
This past Monday, Trump’s attorney Edward Andrew Paltzik sent a letter to the network in which he said CBS “intentionally misled the public by broadcasting a skillfully edited interview.” He also demanded “that you immediately provide and publicly release the full, unedited transcript” and “preserve all communications and documents.”
In her latest response, Sproul added, “Editing is a necessity for all broadcasters to enable them to present the news in the time available, and that is what ’60 Minutes’ did here, as it does with its other reports.” She further noted that providing an unedited transcript to Trump’s team could allow others to similarly push or threaten news organizations in the future.
“A FAKE NEWS SCAM, which is totally illegal. TAKE AWAY THE CBS LICENSE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Oct. 10. “Election Interference. She is a Moron, and the Fake News Media wants to hide that fact. An UNPRECEDENTED SCANDAL!!! The Dems got them to do this and should be forced to concede the Election? WOW!”
CBS News previously denied Trump’s allegations. In a statement shared Sunday, the newsroom explained, “Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response. 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.”
“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,’” the network added. Trump infamously canceled his own planned “60 Minutes” sit-down at the start of the month.
“60 Minutes” airs Sunday nights at 7 p.m. EST on CBS.
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