Former US President, Donald Trump has sued broadcast network, CBS, claiming the network’s interview of Vice President Kamala Harris was ‘doctored’ and a form of election interference.
Trump alleges that CBS aired two different responses from Harris when she was asked about the Israel-Hamas war.
His lawyers argue that the 60 Minutes version of the interview that aired on October 6 did not have Harris’ ‘word salad’ response to how the Biden administration influenced Israel’s actions.
A preview of the interview aired on Face the Nation showed correspondent Bill Whitaker asking Harris why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not seem to be listening to the US.
Harris said in the Face the Nation version: ‘Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in several 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.’
The next day when the same question was shown on 60 Minutes primetime, Harris was instead shown saying more concisely: ‘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.’
‘To paper over Kamala’s “word salad” weakness, CBS used its national platform on 60 Minutes to cross the line from the exercise of judgment in reporting to deceitful, deceptive manipulation of news,’ states Trump’s lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Texas on Thursday, five days before the US election.
Trump’s lawyers claim that CBS’ edits were an ‘attempt to tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party as the heated 2024 Presidential Election – which President Trump is leading – approaches its conclusion’.
The former president is seeking at least $ 10 billion in damages and a jury trial.
