In addition to its regularly scheduled programming, 60 Minutes on Sunday provided a little something extra: A note to viewers.
The famed CBS newsmagazine released a statement unequivocally refuting Donald Trump’s claims that it selectively edited its Oct. 7 interview with Vice President Kamala Harris to make her appear more favorable.
“That is false,” the show 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,” it continued. “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 show reminded its audience that Trump “pulled out of his interview.” When CBS announced that the former president had chickened out of his sitdown just days before the election special was set to air, a campaign spokesperson denied that he’d ever been booked, adding that the network had demanded “live fact checking.”
“Our long-standing invitation to former President Trump remains open,” the statement concluded. “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.”
After Harris’ interview aired earlier this month, Trump took to Truth Social to assail the program, calling it a “giant fake news scam.” As evidence, he pointed to chatter online that the vice president had given a different answer to a question in a clip that aired on Face the Nation than what was shown on 60 Minutes.
“Her REAL ANSWER WAS CRAZY, OR DUMB, so they actually REPLACED it with another answer in order to save her or, at least, to make her look better,” he wrote.
The 60 Minutes team did not respond at the time to the former president’s accusations.
Trump later called for the network to lose its broadcasting license over the interview. Jessica Rosenworcel, the chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission, said that Trump’s “threats against free speech are serious and should not be ignored.
“As I’ve said before, the First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy,” she continued. “The FCC does not and will not revoke licenses for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage.”
At the top of the election special, 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley told viewers that Trump’s campaign had offered “shifting explanations” for his decision to back out.
“First, it complained that we would fact-check the interview,” Pelley said. “We fact-check every story. Later, Trump said he needed an apology for his interview in 2020,” when the former president stormed out of his interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Leslie Stahl, enraged by her questions.
