Hello folks. Well, CBS News’ 60 Minutes strikes again, and this time it’s Vice President Kamala Harris at the center of the controversy.
Two weeks ago, CBS caught itself in the middle of a firestorm after it allegedly edited out parts of Harris’s interview that, let’s say, didn’t put her in the best light. But on Sunday night, in a move that surprised no one, the show hit back with the classic “No, you’re wrong” defense, calling accusations of deceptive editing “false.” No evidence, no transparency, just the usual brush-off. Color me shocked.
Here’s the kicker: CBS claims they didn’t manipulate anything, just that Face the Nation happened to air a “longer” version of her response than 60 Minutes did. Same question, same answer, just trimmed for time, they said. Right. Nothing suspicious about that, right? Apparently, editing for time is now an acceptable excuse for clipping out sections that make the Vice President seem less, shall we say, “incoherent”?
The icing on the cake? CBS couldn’t resist a cheap shot at Trump, reminding everyone that the former president walked out of his own 60 Minutes interview back in 2020. Sure, Trump bailed on an interview because he knew he was walking into a biased hit job, but is this really the point CBS wants to make here? The show could easily clear all this up by releasing the full, unedited interview, but here we are, weeks later, still waiting. Transparency? Not on their radar.
Now, let’s not forget the real issue here: 60 Minutes was covering a pretty crucial topic—America’s financial support for Israel amidst its fight against Islamic terrorism. This is serious stuff. And what do they do? They tweak Harris’s answer to make it sound as if she’s all together on the subject.
Monday, on a 60 Minutes election special, Bill Whitaker asks Vice President Kamala Harris if the U.S. lacks influence over American ally Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. https://t.co/TG3WOCA23A pic.twitter.com/IH6MXMjuCP
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 6, 2024
In one version, she’s rambling about “movements in the region,” but when you watch the version that aired, we get a completely different statement about America’s stance on ending the war. It’s like we’re watching two different interviews. Talk about selective editing.
Watch (relevant part begins at 1:19)
With just 29 days until Election Day, Bill Whitaker sits down with Vice President Kamala Harris. One year after Hamas’ terror attack on Israel, Whitaker starts by asking Harris what the U.S. can do to prevent an all-out regional war in the Middle East. https://t.co/NsOjzQIL5O pic.twitter.com/dRruqbEaqg
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 8, 2024
Here’s what really grinds gears: CBS is sitting on the full transcript, the raw footage, and refuses to release it. If they’ve got nothing to hide, why not just release the whole thing? Senators, journalists, and the Trump campaign have all called for transparency, but CBS has clearly chosen to double down.
Their half-baked statement didn’t deny the accusations—it practically confirmed them! They spliced in another part of Harris’s response to make her sound more coherent. Simple as that. And people wonder why Trump decided to walk away from their “journalism.”
The Trump campaign responded to CBS News’ statement saying:
“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. 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!”
This is just another example of why so many Americans have completely lost faith in mainstream media. When they’re caught red-handed, they spin the story instead of admitting fault. If it smells like bias and looks like bias, it’s probably bias. Keep that in mind the next time you tune in to 60 Minutes.
