US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News over a recent ‘60 Minutes’ interview with his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris. The network misled voters with its “deceitful” editing of Harris’ answers, Trump’s legal team has alleged.
The interview in question was aired in early October, with the broadcaster releasing two different answers by Harris to the same question about the conflict in the Middle East, one in a preview and the other in the actual ‘60 Minutes’ show.
While Harris’ answer in the preview seemed confusing and convoluted, the supposedly full version aired the following day showed her giving a completely different, more concise reply. The incident baffled viewers and prompted accusations from Trump, who described it as “the Greatest Fraud in Broadcast History” and called for the network to be stripped of its broadcasting license.
In the lawsuit submitted on Thursday, Trump’s team called CBS’ editing of the interview a “partisan and unlawful act of election and voter interference.”
“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 lawsuit stated. It added that CBS’ actions were also an attempt “to tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party” and unfairly disadvantage Trump.
The suit demands a jury trial and around $10 billion in damages, the filing showed, citing violations of a Texas law which prohibits deceptive acts in the conduct of business.
In a statement released later on Thursday, CBS News denied any wrongdoing and said it plans to “vigorously” defend against the lawsuit.
“The Interview was not doctored... Former President Trump’s repeated claims against 60 Minutes are false. The lawsuit Trump has brought today against CBS is completely without merit,” the news network said. It previously admitted to editing the interview, but claimed it simply used different portions of Harris’ response in order to fit into the program timeframe. CBS has not released an unedited video or transcript of the full interview.
The lawsuit comes just days before the two candidates face off in the presidential election on November 5. Recent polls in the seven key battleground states have indicated a tight race, with margins of 1% or less.