CBS News has released the unedited transcripts of its October interview with then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, a move aimed at refuting allegations made by Donald Trump in a $10 billion lawsuit against the network, The Associated Press reports.
The lawsuit, filed in November, claimed that CBS “doctored or deceitful” editing gave an unfair advantage to Harris.
The release of the transcripts follows a request last week from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for CBS to provide both transcripts and clips of the interview. CBS complied with the FCC request before making the materials publicly available on Wednesday.
The interview, portions of which aired on “60 Minutes” and “Face the Nation,” had drawn scrutiny after clips surfaced suggesting Harris gave inconsistent answers to a question posed by correspondent Bill Whitaker regarding Israel.
Trump’s lawsuit, filed before he secured re-election, alleged that the editing was intentionally designed to favor Harris over him.
In a statement released alongside the transcripts, CBS News said that the material demonstrates “consistent with ’60 Minutes” repeated assurances to the public, that the ’60 Minutes’ broadcast was not doctored or deceitful.” The network emphasized that journalists routinely edit interviews for reasons of time, space, and clarity.
Despite CBS News maintaining that its editing practices were standard and ethical, reports indicate that Paramount, the network’s parent company, is engaged in settlement talks with Trump’s legal team. This comes as Paramount executives seek the Trump administration’s approval for a potential sale of the company to Skydance, a separate entertainment firm.
