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Former President Trump filed a lawsuit against CBS News Thursday, alleging the network engaged in election interference by doctoring a “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Harris, per a court filing.
Driving the news: Trump is seeking $10 billion in damages for CBS’s alleged “partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference,” which the lawsuit claims were intended to confuse the public and “attempt to tip the scales” toward Democrats in the 2024 presidential election.
- The lawsuit was first reported by Fox News.
Zoom in: The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Texas, alleges CBS aired two different versions of Harris’ response to a question about the Israel-Hamas war in the interview.
- “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,” the suit states.
- CBS did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.
- Trump has requested a full jury trial in addition to the monetary damages. The lawsuit also asks that CBS be prevented from posting the edited segment of the “60 Minutes” interview anywhere, and be required to share the entire unedited video and accompanying transcript of Harris’ full interview.
Zoom out: The lawsuit request partially mirrors a letter the former president sent to CBS following the interview’s broadcast in which he asked for an unedited interview transcript or that he would sue the network.
- “Besides concealing the truth, CBS lacks any justification to decline such a reasonable demand. Any sensible news organization should welcome the opportunity to set the record straight—unless doing so would embarrass and expose that organization,” the lawsuit states.
- CBS News denied Trump’s request on Oct. 26, saying in a letter that his demands were made from a “faulty premise” and that the news organization would stand by and protect editorial decisions made by the “60 Minutes” staff.
- CBS News senior Vice President for legal affairs Gayle C. Sproul, the author of the letter, wrote that Trump lacks the legal standing to sue and that there is no “legal basis for your demand that we provide you with the unedited transcript of the interview.”
Context: Trump and his allies have been accusing “60 Minutes” of deceitful editing of the Oct. 7 interview for weeks.
- The network said in an Oct. 20 statement that Harris’ full answer to the Gaza war question was excluded from the “60 Minutes” broadcast but a separate portion was broadcast by “Face the Nation.” The full answer to the question was later published online.
- “Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response,” CBS said.
- “When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate and on point,” the network explained. “The portion of her answer on 60 Minutes was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide-ranging 21-minute-long segment.”
Worth noting: Trump was also invited to appear on “60 Minutes” as part of the Oct. 7 episode. The former president did not sit for the interview citing, in part, disagreements over fact-checks during a 2020 interview with Lesley Stahl.
- While CBS maintains that Trump agreed to and then canceled the interview, the Trump campaign has said the former president never formally agreed.
Go deeper: Voters should “watch” Trump rallies after he bailed on “60 Minutes,” Harris says
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to add additional information and context.