Watchdog files FCC complaint against CBS over '60 Minutes' edit

The Center for American Rights (CAR) on Wednesday filed a formal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) against CBS News over its allegedly misleading edit of a "60 Minutes" interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Multiple Republican politicians have urged the network to release the full unedited transcripts of the appearance last week, after the vice president's answer in a clip promoting the interview differed from the answer in the full interview that aired. House Speaker Mike Johnson has also accused the network of "selectively editing" his interview.

The center said its complaint is not about "one" instance, but of broader "significant and intentional news distortion."

"This isn’t just about one interview or one network," CAR president Daniel Suhr said in a statement, according to Fox News. "This is about the public’s trust in the media on critical issues of national security and international relations during one of the most consequential elections of our time. 

"When broadcasters manipulate interviews and distort reality, it undermines democracy itself," he continued. "The FCC must act swiftly to restore public confidence in our news media."

The complaint called for the FCC to force CBS to release its transcripts of the interview, citing a long-standing FCC precedent that broadcasters "may not engage in intentional falsification or suppression of news."

"The need for the Commission’s action is strengthened by CBS’s refusal thus far to release the transcript, which it has done in similar interviews in the past," the complaint said. 

CBS has not publicly commented on the debacle so far, but the Harris campaign has denied playing any role in the interview's editorial process. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.