Trump sues CBS for billions over 60 Minutes Harris interview he insists was edited

Amarillo, Texas - Donald Trump recently filed a massive lawsuit against CBS over their 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, which he continues to insist was edited with "malicious" intent.

Donald Trump recently filed a lawsuit against CBS over their interview with Kamala Harris, which he claims was doctored to interfere with the election.
Donald Trump recently filed a lawsuit against CBS over their interview with Kamala Harris, which he claims was doctored to interfere with the election.  © Nicholas Kamm / AFP

On Thursday, Trump's attorneys filed the suit in the Northern District of Texas, arguing that the network committed "election and voter interference through malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion calculated to confuse, deceive, and mislead the public, and attempt to tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party."

The suit references a pre-election interview Harris did with 60 Minutes last month, which Trump has repeatedly insisted was edited to make her look better.

He has called on CBS and other networks to lose their broadcasting license over the interview and has repeatedly threatened legal action.

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Trump and his team are now seeking a whopping $10 billion in the suit for alleged campaign fundraising losses sustained because of the interview and are demanding that the network "publicly release the full, unedited" footage and transcript.

At a campaign rally in Nevada that same day, Trump told a crowd of his MAGA followers, "In honor of you, I just sued CBS today."

Is there any merit to Donald Trump's claims?

The former president's claims have been met with heavy skepticism, as editing such interviews is common to fit time constraints, and he has done plenty of interviews that have been edited in some way.

Critics have pointed out that Trump's team intentionally filed the suit in a specific Texas court to get a Trump-appointed judge to oversee the case – a strategy known as "judge shopping" – and argue that the amount in damages being sought is unusually high.

The suit also comes as Trump and his MAGA allies have begun laying the groundwork to contest the results of the election if he does not win by arguing election interference coming from multiple fronts.

In a statement to The Washington Post, a spokesperson for CBS described the suit as "completely without merit," arguing the show "fairly presented the Interview to inform the viewing audience, and not to mislead it."

Cover photo: Nicholas Kamm / AFP

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