Attorneys for former President Donald Trump have demanded that CBS release the complete, unedited transcript of Vice President Kamala Harris’ 60 Minutes interview, accusing the network of misleading the public by airing an edited version. The controversy centers around Harris’ interview from October 7, where Trump’s legal team alleges CBS intentionally doctored the footage to favor Harris.
On Sunday night, 60 Minutes responded to the allegations, calling Trump’s claims of deceitful editing “false” and pointing out that Trump himself had pulled out of his interview with the program. In a statement, the show clarified its editing process: “When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or a 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 program also noted that it shared an extended excerpt of Harris’ interview on Face the Nation, using a longer section of her answer. The statement reiterated that Trump is welcome to join the program for an interview at any time.
On Monday, Trump’s legal counsel, Edward Paltzik, sent a letter to Gayle Sproul, senior vice president of legal affairs at CBS News, demanding the full release of Harris’ interview transcript. Paltzik accused CBS of admitting to airing two different versions of the interview on October 5 and 6, alleging the edits were made to intentionally mislead the public ahead of the election.
The letter specifically called out Harris’ responses to questions about the Israel-Hamas conflict, suggesting that while a full transcript was available online, it might have been altered. “The open question is whether such posted transcript is original or whether it has also been doctored, edited, or manipulated in any way that is helpful to Kamala Harris’ failing campaign,” Paltzik stated.
He further accused the network of “manipulative editing” designed to confuse voters about Harris’ abilities and appeal, claiming, “News organizations such as CBS have a responsibility to accurately represent the truth of events.” Paltzik’s letter concluded by stating that CBS’ actions had blurred the line between “the candidate or the puppet of a behind-the-scenes editor,” calling into question the integrity of the aired footage.