CBS Under Fire After Finally Releasing Full Kamala Harrris Interview Transcript
Brendan Carr, the Chairman of the Federal Communication Commission, slammed CBS News for their conduct after the release of the unedited transcript of a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. The FCC released the raw footage and transcript CBS News sent to the agency of the October 2024 conversation with Harris that has been causing a stir ever since it first aired.
“CBS’s conduct is hard to explain,” Carr said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “On the one hand, CBS immediately released the unredacted transcript of a recent interview with Vice President Vance. Yet for months, they refused to release the one with Vice President Harris.”
He was referencing CBS News’ decision to release the transcript of “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan’s interview with Vice President JD Vance, which took place a month ago.
“The FCC has now opened up a proceeding and is seeking public comment on the News Distortion complaint. Transparency here is important. The FCC’s review will continue, and we look forward to the public’s feedback,” Carr continued.
“The raw transcript showed CBS News had aired only the first half of her response to ’60 Minutes’ correspondent Bill Whitaker’s question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not ‘listening’ to the Biden administration in a preview clip that aired on ‘Face the Nation,’ but aired only the second half of her response during the primetime special,” Fox reported.
“But it seems that Prime Minister Netanyahu is not listening,” Whitaker went on to say during the exchange. “The Wall Street Journal said that he — that your administration has repeatedly been blindsided by Netanyahu, and in fact, he has rebuffed just about all of your administration’s entreaties.”
“Well, Bill, 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. And we’re not going to stop doing that. 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,” Harris replied.
“We are posting the same transcripts and videos of our interview with Vice President Kamala Harris that we provided to the FCC. They show – consistent with 60 Minutes’ repeated assurances to the public – that the 60 Minutes broadcast was not doctored or deceitful,” CBS News said about the transcripts. “In reporting the news, journalists regularly edit interviews – for time, space or clarity. In making these edits, 60 Minutes is always guided by the truth and what we believe will be most informative to the viewing public – all while working within the constraints of broadcast television.”
BREAKING: FCC releases unedited ‘60 Minutes’ interview with Kamala Harris during the election
President Trump sued CBS, alleging the interview was “deceptively doctored” to help Harris win. pic.twitter.com/tIxzGtKjIE
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 5, 2025
CBS said that they aired a longer section of the then-vice president’s answer during a segment on “Face the Nation” while showing a shorter version during the primetime special.
“As the full transcript shows, we edited the interview to ensure that as much of the vice president’s answers to 60 Minutes’ many questions were included in our original broadcast while fairly representing those answers. 60 Minutes’ hard-hitting questions of the vice president speak for themselves,” CBS News stated.
Carr issued an order for CBS News to send the FCC an unedited transcript for its investigation to find out if the network had violated the agency’s “news distortion” policy following a complaint filed against them.
“The policy says you can’t swap answers out to make it look like somebody said something entirely different,” Carr explained, going on to add that it would have been perfectly okay if the interview had been edited for length and clarity purposes.
In the preview clip that aired on “Face the Nation,” Whitaker asks Harris why Netanyahu is not listening to the U.S.
“Well, Bill, 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,” Harris answered.
Harris got raked over the coals by conservatives for the “word salad” answer she gave to the question. However, when the same question was asked in the primetime special the following night, it was shorter and more focused, leading many to believe the interview had been doctored in order to make Harris look better.
“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,” Harris stated.
President Trump filed a lawsuit back in October against CBS News for $10 billion in damages, alleging the editing was election interference, making the accusation that the network was attempting to aid Democrats against him in the 2024 presidential election.
“CBS parent company Paramount Global is reportedly considering settling the suit ahead of a planned merger with Skydance Media in hopes of preventing potential retribution by Trump’s FCC, which has the authority to halt the multibillion-dollar transaction. Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, is reportedly in favor of settling with the president,” Fox concluded.
