The Donald Trump campaign released a scathing statement in response to a defiant “60 Minutes” comment about its controversial edit of its interview with Vice President Kamala Harris earlier this month, saying the show had essentially admitted to making her sound better and calling on the CBS show to release a full transcript of the interview.
“60 Minutes just admitted to doing exactly what President Trump accused them of doing. They edited in a different response – from another part of her answer – to make Kamala Harris sound less incoherent than she really was. Their statement is not a denial, it is an admission that they did exactly what they were accused of,” the Trump campaign said Sunday. “This is another reminder of how hopelessly biased 60 Minutes is, and how correct President Trump was to decline their invitation to be subjected to their fake news hackery. Release the Transcript!”
CBS News did not immediately respond on Monday when asked if it would release the transcript. The network has ignored calls to release the transcript or the unedited footage since the controversy began.
CBS NEWS BREAKS ITS SILENCE OVER EDITING ALLEGATIONS IN ’60 MINUTES’ INTERVIEW WITH HARRIS
After weeks of staying mum despite mounting backlash over the interview, CBS published a statement Sunday evening addressing the outrage that ensued after airing two different answers to the same question in the “60 Minutes” interview earlier this month with the Democratic nominee. The show said former President Trump’s claims that the show had deceived its audience were “false.”
“Former President Donald Trump is accusing 60 Minutes of deceitful editing of our Oct. 7 interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. That is false,” the statement began.
“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. 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 statement then said that Trump “pulled out of his interview with ‘60 Minutes’ and the vice president participated.” The Trump campaign denied that it had ever formally accepted the invitation for the interview.
“Our long-standing invitation to former President Trump remains open,” the statement continued. “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.”
‘60 MINUTES’ UNDER FIRE FOR KAMALA HARRIS EDITING DECISION,’ HAS HISTORY OF LIBERAL CONTROVERSIES‘
The saga began earlier this month when CBS News aired two different answers to the same question in its “60 Minutes” interview with Harris.
Harris was initially mocked by conservatives on social media when footage of her offering a lengthy “word salad” was aired by CBS’ “Face the Nation” and on social media to promote the “60 Minutes” sit-down, when Bill Whitaker asked why it seemed like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t listening to the U.S.
However, the vice president’s lengthy answer didn’t make the version that aired in primetime on “60 Minutes” and a shorter Harris answer to the same question was shown instead.
CBS News has since faced criticism, as some believe the network used a more-flattering clip of Harris answering the question following backlash to the initial version.
Fox News Digital’s Yael Halon contributed to this report.
