On Monday, February 6, Trump-appointed FCC chair Brendan Carr got the full transcript and video following a tug-of-war with the Tiffany Network. The network has said the editing was done as a standard practice for “time, space or clarity.”
However, a CBS source told New York Post that the edit did Harris “a lot of favors and makes her seem more succinct.” “You have to watch the video. A lot of ‘word salad,’” the source said. “Feels like a clean up on Aisle 7. Not a technical foul but one could argue still news distortion.”
Kamala Harris’ answers versus the broadcast
Trump and conservative critics have noted that Harris gave very different answers about the Gaza conflict during a promo for the interview on ‘Face the Nation’ and in what was shown on ‘60 Minutes’ the following day, on the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. When ‘60 Minutes’ correspondent Bill Whitaker asked Harris what the United States can do to stop the war from getting out of control, Harris gave a 140-word answer, the full transcript shows.
“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,” Harris said.
She added, “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?”
However, the version that was broadcast only showed a 56-word reply. “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,” Harris said.
Another response that appeared to be heavily edited was to a question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemingly “charting his own course” while defying Biden administration calls about moderating the military response. Harris’ reply that was broadcast was cut to 20 words. She was heard saying, “The work that we do diplomatically with the leadership of Israel is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles.”
The full transcript, however, revealed that Harris actually has a 179-word answer. “Well, let’s start with this. On this subject, the aid that we have given Israel allowed Israel to defend itself against 200 ballistic missiles that were just meant to attack the Israelis, and the people of Israel. And I think that is the most recent example of why what we do to assist in their defense around military aid is important. And when we think about the threat that Hamas, Hezbollah presents Iran, I think that it is without any question our imperative to do what we can to allow Israel to defend itself against those kinds of attacks,” she said.
She added, “Now, the work that we do diplomatically with the leadership of Israel is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles, which include the need for humanitarian aid, the need for this war to end, the need for a deal to be done which would release the hostages, and create a ceasefire. And we’re not going to stop in terms of putting that pressure on Israel, and in the region, including with other leaders in the region, including Arab leaders.”
In a follow-up question, Harris is seen responding in the broadcast, “We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.”
However, she said in the unedited version, “Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region. And we’re not going to stop doing that. We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.”
Carr has said that the FCC will hold hearings over a complaint by the Center for American Rights, a right-leaning activist group, over the alleged deceptive editing done by CBS News.
“The FCC has concluded that establishing a docket and seeking comment on the issues raised in the complaint would serve the public interest. The people will have a chance to weigh in,” Carr wrote in an X post.
CBS has also released the unedited documents to the public on Wednesday, February 5, saying that the transcripts “show – consistent with 60 Minutes’ repeated assurances to the public – that the 60 Minutes broadcast was not doctored or deceitful.”
The FCC will review whether the broadcast violates “news distortion” rules. If evidence of misleading editing is found, it could affect regulatory approval of Paramount’s $8 billion merger with Skydance, which was scheduled to close by March.
