’60 Minutes’ transcript at center of Trump’s lawsuit against CBS is vital to investigation, FCC chair says

Federal Communication Commission president Brendan Carr said connected Monday that Americans merit to spot the unedited transcript astatine the halfway of President Trump’s suit against CBS.  

In October, Trump filed a $10 cardinal suit against CBS News alleging predetermination interference implicit its handling of the "60 Minutes" interrogation with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing the web of aiding his Democratic rival done deceptive editing. Trump’s campy has said CBS fundamentally aired Harris giving 2 antithetic answers to the aforesaid question, which raised eyebrows aft her archetypal reply was wide mocked arsenic a "word salad." 

Critics accused CBS News of editing Harris' "word salad" reply to shield the vice president from further backlash. CBS announced connected Friday it would comply and supply the FCC "with the transcript and camera feeds from a ‘60 Minutes’ interrogation astatine the halfway of a ailment alleging quality distortion."

TRUMP SUES CBS NEWS FOR $10 BILLION ALLEGING 'DECEPTIVE DOCTORING' OF HARRIS' '60 MINUTES' INTERVIEW

CBS News volition reportedly comply with an F.C.C. petition to crook implicit the footage and transcript of its "60 Minutes" interrogation with then-Vice President Harris that a Trump suit accused of being unlawfully edited.  (AP Photo; Reuters Photo; Screenshots/CBS News)

Carr appeared connected Fox News Channel’s "America’s Newsroom" to explicate wherefore seeing the afloat transcript is truthful critical. 

"We person sought the unedited transcript of the transcript successful the video from this interview. And arsenic portion of an FCC investigation, determination was a ailment filed nether thing called the quality distortion policy. And that's a 50-year-old argumentation astatine the FCC that applies to broadcasters," Carr told big Dana Perino. 

"And the argumentation says you can't, you know, swap answers retired to marque it look similar idiosyncratic said thing wholly different. The classical lawsuit is if idiosyncratic says yes to an answer, and you splice successful a nary answer," helium continued. "Here it's usually precise hard to marque retired quality distortion complaints. You don't privation the FCC leaning successful excessively heavy connected this. But here… CBS played the aforesaid question connected 2 antithetic programs, and intelligibly the words of the answers were precise different."

As a result, Carr said that the FCC wants to spot the transcript.

"It's owed today, and I expect CBS to supply it by the extremity of the time to spot what successful information was said arsenic portion of our ain quality distortion investigation," Carr said. 

Perino past asked the FCC president what benignant of consequences CBS could face. 

TRUMP COULD BE ON VERGE OF LEGAL VICTORY AGAINST CBS AS SETTLEMENT SPECULATION HEATS UP

Bill Whitaker’s "60 Minutes" interrogation with Vice President Kamala Harris is astatine the halfway of a high-stakes lawsuit.  (Screenshots/CBS News)

"Well, look, there'll beryllium the afloat suite of FCC options that are connected the array that use to immoderate broadcast licensee. We evidently haven't made immoderate decisions, but there's nary mode that the FCC tin adjudicate this assertion without getting a transcript of the transcript," Carr said. 

"You know, astatine the extremity of the Biden administration, my predecessor summarily dismissed this complaint, but I'm not definite however you tin perchance bash that without seeing the existent video to spot what was the existent answer," helium added. "Was it edited? Was it, you know, edited for clarity and length, which would beryllium fine. Or are determination different reasons wherefore the editing took place?"

Carr said the FCC volition beryllium "open-minded" erstwhile it comes to imaginable consequences and transparency is "incredibly important" erstwhile dealing with this benignant of issue.  

"I bash deliberation the American nationalist yet merit to spot this for themselves. And what's absorbing is, CBS releases different transcripts," Carr said.

Trump’s suit focused connected an speech Harris had with "60 Minutes" analogous Bill Whitaker. In a preview clip that aired connected "Face the Nation," Harris was asked wherefore it seemed similar Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t listening to the U.S. 

"Well, Bill, the enactment that we person done has resulted successful a fig of movements successful that portion by Israel that were precise overmuch prompted by, oregon a effect of, galore things, including our advocacy for what needs to hap successful the region," Harris responded successful the "Face the Nation" clip. 

CBS NEWS STATEMENT ON CONTROVERSIAL ’60 MINUTES’ EDIT FALLS FLAT ON SOCIAL MEDIA: 'PUBLISH. THE. TRANSCRIPT.'

Harris was mocked by conservatives for offering a lengthy "word salad" to Whitaker. But erstwhile that aforesaid question aired the pursuing nighttime successful the primetime predetermination special, a shorter, much focused answer from the vice president followed.

"We are not going to halt pursuing what is indispensable for the United States to beryllium wide astir wherever we basal connected the request for this warfare to end," Harris said successful the primetime special.

CBS antecedently refuted Trump’s claims. 

"Same question. Same answer. But a antithetic information of the response. When we edit immoderate interview, whether a politician, an athlete, oregon movie star, we strive to beryllium clear, close and connected point," the web antecedently said successful a statement.  

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