‘That Is False’: ‘60 Minutes’ Rebuts Trump On Its Harris Interview
Former president threatened CBS over election special which he ducked
The staff at 60 Minutes is standing firm against accusations that they selectively edited host Bill Whitaker’s interview of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Donald Trump and others have accused the CBS News program of deceptive edits of the election interview with Harris broadcast earlier this month.
60 Minutes released an unequivocal statement Sunday, after the former president and 2024 Republican presidential nominee publicly threatened the network over the broadcast, on which Trump had been invited but declined to be interviewed.
Whitaker interviewed Harris for the election special 60 Minutes has been broadcasting for more than a half-century, in which the program has historically presented separate interviews with the major-party candidates for president.
This year, Harris sat down for an interview but Trump backed out of his scheduled conversation.
Trump and others have criticized — with out evidence — that 60 Minutes broadcast of Harris, from October 7.
In an interview with Fox News Sunday, Trump called it “terrible,” and said “Sure,” when asked if CBS should somehow lose its broadcast license. (In truth, although individual US television stations are licensed, networks are not.)
The October 7 interview with Harris got the same treatment as any news interview, 60 Minutes asserted.
“Former President Donald Trump is accusing 60 Minutes of deceitful editing of our Oct. 7 interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. That is false,” the statement said. “60 Minutes gave an excerpt of our interview to Face the Nation that used a longer section of her answer than that on 60 Minutes. 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.”
The 60 Minutes statement reminded that Trump had been free to have equal time and treatment as Harris.
“Remember, Mr. Trump pulled out of his interview with 60 Minutes and the vice president participated,” the statement said. “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.”
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