CBS releases transcripts and internal videos of Kamala Harris interview

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CBS on Wednesday, February 5, took the unusual step of releasing internal video footage and transcripts of a “60 Minutes” interview conducted with then-Vice President Kamala Harris in October.

The behind-the-scenes materials are of interest in a Federal Communications Commission review of a complaint filed in the fall by the Center for American Rights, a conservative legal organization, which had accused the network of news distortion by airing two different portions of a response Harris gave to a question about U.S. policy toward Israel. The segment is also at the center of a lawsuit filed against CBS by President Donald Trump.

The FCC wrote to CBS requesting the internal materials on Jan. 29, and the network provided them late Monday. CBS, which had originally declined to release the transcript, said in a statement last week that it was “legally compelled” to provide the material.

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The complaint, which was lodged in mid-October, was dismissed by then-FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel in the waning days of the Biden administration but was reopened by Brendan Carr, Trump’s pick to lead the FCC.

The transcripts and video feeds were also published by the FCC on Wednesday. Carr said in a post on X that “the value of transparency & the public interest” made it necessary to release the materials to the public. The FCC will also be seeking public comment on the matter, with a March 7 deadline.

It’s very unusual for a news organization to publish internal camera feeds from an interview. At the beginning of the nearly 54-minute interview, which the FCC published on YouTube, Harris is shown wiping her nose. “You know that mold is at an all-time high today, which is the one thing I am allergic to,” she says. Viewers can also see an individual tussling Harris’s hair. “Just do what you need to do,” Harris says to the person.

CBS’s Sunday morning show “Face the Nation” aired a longer version than what later aired on “60 Minutes” of Harris’s answer when asked by correspondent Bill Whitaker about whether the Biden administration held “sway” over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Each excerpt reflects the substance of the vice president’s answer,” CBS said in a statement Wednesday. “As the full transcript shows, we edited the interview to ensure that as much of the vice president’s answers to 60 Minutes’ many questions were included in our original broadcast while fairly representing those answers.”

CBS has long maintained that it edited and presented the interview in line with industry standards and did not engage in “deceitful editing.” The network reiterated that argument as part of its release on Wednesday.

“In reporting the news, journalists regularly edit interviews – for time, space or clarity,” the network said. “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.”

FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, blasted the commission’s “unprecedented and reckless” decision to release information about the investigation and publish proprietary materials submitted by CBS.

“This action sets a dangerous precedent that threatens to undermine trust in the FCC’s role as an impartial regulator,” Gomez said in a statement. “The FCC should stop trying to keep up with this Administration’s focus on partisan culture wars and return to its core focus of protecting consumers, promoting competition, and securing our communications networks.”

Trump sued CBS in late October over what his legal team called “malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion” intended to “confuse, deceive, and mislead the public” and deliver the 2024 election for Harris.

While most lawsuits against media companies seek compensation for alleged acts of defamation, Trump’s suit cited the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which is intended to protect customers from false advertising. In seeking to dismiss the case, CBS argued that the statute was not meant “to police editorial decisions made by news organizations with which one disagrees.”

As first reported by the New York Times, CBS is in early discussions with Trump’s camp about a possible settlement, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment. The network has not commented on the matter.

CBS had also invited Trump to participate in a “60 Minutes” interview tied to the election, but he declined.

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