(NewsNation) — The CBS News show “60 Minutes” rejected claims Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made about its interview this month with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
“Former President Donald Trump is accusing 60 Minutes of deceitful editing of our Oct. 7 interview with Vice President Kamala Harris,” the show said in a statement Sunday. “That is false.”
Trump, on Truth Social following the Harris interview, said 60 Minutes should be “taken off the air” and CBS should lose its license. He later claimed on the social media site that the interview was a “COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER” and incorrectly said that they “CREATED many additional new answers” for the vice president.
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“In normal times, what happened on 60 Minutes, (deceptively “doctoring” her answers), would be THE END OF ANYONE’S CAMPAIGN!” Trump wrote.
The former president later repeated these sentiments and threatened to sue CBS News during an appearance on Dan Bongino’s podcast, NewsNation partner The Hill wrote.
While CBS posted a transcript of Harris’ entire interview with Bill Whitaker on its website, Trump and his allies criticized the outlet for airing an abridged version of Harris’ answer to a question about Gaza on “60 Minutes.”
But “60 Minutes” explained the supposed discrepancy by saying it gave a “longer section” of Harris’ answer to another CBS show, “Face the Nation.”
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“Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response,” the show said in its statement. “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 (Harris’) answer on 60 Minutes was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide-ranging 21-minute-long segment.”
“60 Minutes” noted that Trump pulled out of a similar interview he was scheduled to have with the network but said it would be “happy to have him on” in the future “if he would like to discuss the issues facing the nation and the Harris interview.”
In a statement to The Hill earlier this month, Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel criticized Trump for his comments.
“While repeated attacks against broadcast stations by the former President may now be familiar, these threats against free speech are serious and should not be ignored,” Rosensworcel said. “The FCC does not and will not revoke licenses for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage.”
