The Federal Communications Commission demanded that CBS provide the unedited transcript of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris that is the subject of a complaint to the FCC and a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump.
CBS News on Wednesday received a letter of inquiry in which the FCC requested “the full, unedited transcript and camera feeds” of the Harris interview, The New York Times reported today. “We are working to comply with that inquiry as we are legally compelled to do,” a CBS News spokesperson told media outlets.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr repeatedly echoed Trump’s complaints about alleged media bias before the election and has taken steps to punish news broadcasters since Trump promoted him to the chairmanship. Complaints against CBS, ABC, and NBC stations were dismissed under former Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, but Carr reversed those dismissals in his first week as chair. Carr also ordered investigations into NPR and CBS.
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, a Democrat, criticized what she called Carr’s “latest action to weaponize our broadcast licensing authority.”
“This is a retaliatory move by the government against broadcasters whose content or coverage is perceived to be unfavorable,” Gomez said today. “It is designed to instill fear in broadcast stations and influence a network’s editorial decisions. The Communications Act clearly prohibits the Commission from censoring broadcasters and the First Amendment protects journalistic decisions against government intimidation. We must respect the rule of law, uphold the Constitution, and safeguard public trust in our oversight of broadcasters.”
CBS considers settling Trump lawsuit
Trump sued CBS over the Harris interview, and executives at CBS owner Paramount Global have held settlement talks with Trump representatives. “A settlement would be an extraordinary concession by a major U.S. media company to a sitting president, especially in a case in which there is no evidence that the network got facts wrong or damaged the plaintiff’s reputation,” The New York Times wrote.