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President Donald Trump reacted on social media Thursday after CBS released the transcripts of Vice President Kamala Harris conducting an interview with “60 Minutes” amid an ongoing investigation.
Trump claimed the network “defrauded” Americans by changing the answers to the vice president’s questions in the interview ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
“CBS and 60 Minutes defrauded the public by doing something which has never, to this extent, been seen before. They 100% removed Kamala’s horrible election changing answers to questions, and replaced them with completely different, and far better, answers, taken from another part of the interview. This was Election changing ‘stuff,’ Election Interference and, quite simply, Election Fraud at a level never seen before,” Trump wrote.
The president argued that CBS should lose its broadcasting license and called for “60 Minutes” to be “immediately terminated.”
“CBS should lose its license, and the cheaters at 60 Minutes should all be thrown out, and this disreputable ‘NEWS’ show should be immediately terminated. With the new Democrat scandal that just arose with respect to USAID illegally paying large sums of money to Politico and other media outlets, the question must me asked, was CBS paid for committing this FRAUD??? Many other questions to come! This will go down as the biggest Broadcasting SCANDAL in History!!!” he continued.
CBS posted links to the full transcripts they provided to the FCC as part of the investigation.
“In reporting the news, journalists regularly edit interviews – for time, space or clarity. In making these edits, 60 Minutes is always guided by the truth and what we believe will be most informative to the viewing public – all while working within the constraints of broadcast television,” the network’s statement claimed.
CBS also released the full video interview on YouTube.
The controversy has often focused on Harris responding to a question about the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Her full answer stated: “Well, let’s start with October 7th. 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?”
“60 Minutes” instead released a response from Harris that stated, “Well, let’s start with October 7th. 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.”
Other responses were also edited in the televised video.