A rumor circulating online in early October 2024 about the weekly TV news program "60 Minutes" claimed CBS News edited and presented two different versions of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' answer to a question about U.S. relations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker interviewed Harris a week before the broadcast aired on Oct. 7 — the first anniversary of the Hamas militant group's attack in Israel.
Snopes readers who encountered the rumor asked via email, "Did '60 Minutes' edit a Kamala response about Israel?" and, "Did CBS edit Harris' interview on '60 Minutes'?" Another reader asked, "Did CBS 60 minutes upload an edited version of their interview with VP Harris, changing her answer about Israel?"
Former President Donald Trump amplified the controversy by labeling CBS' actions "election interference" and a "fake news scam." He also shared a comparison video demonstrating that CBS News aired two versions of Harris' answer to the same question. Ultimately, he demanded that CBS' broadcast license be revoked.
In our research, we found that CBS News did broadcast two different versions of Harris' answers to a series of questions she was asked about Netanyahu. One version aired on Oct. 6 on the Sunday-morning CBS News program "Face the Nation," and the other on "60 Minutes" the following day, during the show's primetime election special. As of this writing, both versions remain available online.
The Oct. 6 'Face the Nation' Version
On Oct. 6, "Face the Nation" broadcast a clip of Harris' remarks about Netanyahu, as a preview of the "60 Minutes" election special set to air the following evening. The clip (available on YouTube) lasted more than two minutes. The same day, "60 Minutes" posted the same preview clip to its official YouTube channel.
We transcribed the clip:
WHITAKER: We supply Israel with billions of dollars in military aid, and yet, Prime Minister Netanyahu seems to be charting his own course. The Biden-Harris administration has pressed him to agree to a ceasefire. He's resisted. You urged him not to go into Lebanon. He went in anyway. He has promised to make Iran pay for the missile attack, and that has the potential of expanding the war. Does the U.S. have no sway over Prime Minister Netanyahu?
HARRIS: The aid that we have given Israel allowed Israel to defend itself against 200 ballistic missiles that were just meant to attack the Israelis and the people of Israel, and when we think about the threat that Hamas, Hezbollah, presents, um, Iran, um, I think that it is without any question our imperative to do what we can to allow Israel to defend itself against those kinds of attacks. Now, the work that we do diplomatically with the leadership of Israel is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles which include the need for humanitarian aid, the need for this war to end, the need for a deal to be done, which would release the hostages, and, and, and create a ceasefire, and we're not going to stop in terms of putting that pressure on Israel and, and in the region, including Arab leaders.
WHITAKER: But it seems that Prime Minister Netanyahu is not listening.
HARRIS: Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by or a result of many things including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region.
WHITAKER: Do we have a, a, a real close ally in Prime Minister Netanyahu?
HARRIS: I think, with all due respect, the better question is, do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people, and the answer to that question is yes.
The Oct. 7 '60 Minutes' Version
For the "60 Minutes" broadcast that aired on Oct. 7, Whitaker's initial question was shortened and a one-sentence answer from Harris was included that had not appeared in the version that aired the previous day.
After asking the question that was shortened in the final clip, Whitaker said to Harris, "But it seems that Prime Minister Netanyahu is not listening." The video then cut to Harris responding, "We are not gonna stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end." (Again, that sentence was omitted from the longer interview clip previously aired on "Face the Nation" and the "60 Minutes" YouTube page.)
The re-edited version begins at the 2:07 mark in this clip uploaded to the "60 Minutes" YouTube channel:
We transcribed the re-edited clip as well (bolded emphasis ours):
WHITAKER: We supply Israel with billions of dollars in military aid, and yet Prime Minister Netanyahu seems to be charting his own course. The Biden-Harris administration has pressed him to agree to a ceasefire. He's resisted. You urged him not to go into Lebanon. He went in anyway. Does the U.S. have no sway over Prime Minister Netanyahu?
HARRIS: The work that we do diplomatically with the leadership of Israel is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles.
WHITAKER: But it seems that Prime Minister Netanyahu is not listening.
HARRIS: We are not gonna stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.
WHITAKER: Do we have a, a, a real close ally in Prime Minister Netanyahu?
HARRIS: I think, with all due respect, the better question is, do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people, and the answer to that question is yes.
Harris' answer (bolded above) shared similarities with another answer featured in the other version broadcast on "Face the Nation" and the "60 Minutes" YouTube channel, when she said the words, "and we're not going to stop in terms of putting that pressure on Israel and, and in the region, including Arab leaders."
Fallout
On Oct. 8 — just one day after the airing of "60 Minutes" — a user on X posted (archived) the aforementioned video comparison later shared by Trump. The clip, which displayed a watermark for the user's handle, "Maze," highlighted the differences between the two edits of Harris' answer. In the days that followed, more users shared the same video. The clip received tens of millions of views.
On Truth Social, Trump called the matter "the greatest fraud in broadcast history" and "the single biggest scandal in broadcast history," and demanded that CBS lose its broadcast license.
Federal Communication Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel denounced Trump's demands, according to CNN, and said, in part, "[Trump's] threats against free speech are serious and should not be ignored."
Semafor.com media editor Max Tani reported (archived) on X, "Multiple people at CBS tell me there was no contact between the White House or Harris campaign and '60 Minutes' after the interview was taped at the residence on Saturday."
Variety reported that a Harris campaign aide said, "We do not control CBS's production decisions and refer questions to CBS."
Snopes reached out to several people associated with CBS News and the Harris campaign, and will update this article if we receive further details.
As of this writing, CBS News had not announced any plans to release an unedited version of the entire Harris interview or a complete transcript. The CBS News website hosted only the "60 Minutes" broadcast transcript and the full transcript of "Face the Nation."