CBS News extensively edited then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ “word salad” comments during a preelection “60 Minutes” interview, according to transcripts released Wednesday by the Federal Communications Commission.
The FCC is investigating whether CBS engaged in election interference after complaints that Harris’ answers were edited to make her look more coherent. President Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the network.
CBS has defended the editing as a standard practice for “time, space, or clarity.”
The New York Post reported Wednesday that a CBS source said the “60 Minutes” edit did Harris “a lot of favors and makes her seem more succinct.”
“You have to watch the video. A lot of ‘word salad,'” the source told the outlet. “Feels like a clean up on Aisle 7. Not a technical foul but one could argue still news distortion.”
Paramount’s CBS, which turned over the unredacted video and transcript this week to the FCC, also posted the transcript and video on its website.
CBS said Wednesday the transcripts “show – consistent with 60 Minutes’ repeated assurances to the public – that the 60 Minutes broadcast was not doctored or deceitful.”
Harris gave a lengthy answer to a question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The New York Times reported. Roughly 21 seconds of that answer was aired in a preview of the interview on “Face the Nation,” and a different seven-second part of the answer aired the next day on “60 Minutes.”
In another question from correspondent Bill Whitaker about what the U.S. can do to stop the Gaza war from spinning out of control, Harris said:
“Well, let’s start with Oct. 7. Because obviously, what we do now must be in the context of what has happened. And as I reflect on a year ago, and that 1,200 people were massacred, young people at a festival, at a music festival, 250 hostages were taken, including Americans, women were brutally raped. And as I said then, I maintain Israel has a right to defend itself. We would. And how it does so matters. And as we fast forward into what we have seen in the ensuing weeks and months, far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. And we know that, and I think most agree, this war has to end. And that has to be our number one imperative, and that has been our number one imperative. How can we get this war to end?”
The version that aired was:
“Well, let’s start with Oct. 7. Twelve hundred people were massacred, 250 hostages were taken, including Americans. Women were brutally raped. And as I said then, I maintain Israel has a right to defend itself. We would. And how it does so matters. Far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. This war has to end.”
FCC Chair Brendan Carr took to social media to say a docket has been established and the agency is seeking comment on the issues raised in the “News Distortion” complaints.
Carr said the FCC will hold hearings over a complaint by the Center for American Rights over CBS News’ alleged deceptive news distortion.
The Times last week reported that discussions were underway between representatives of Paramount and Trump to settle a $10 billion lawsuit he filed against CBS in the days before the election accusing the network of deceptive editing the interview with Harris.
Reuters contributed to this story.
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