Yet again, the propagandists at CBS have found themselves in the midst of another deceptive editing scandal. On Sunday, the network was caught editing out the substantive portion of one of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s responses to a question on Face the Nation. But this incident is just the latest in CBS’s lengthy record of journalistic malfeasance.
Until this pernicious behavior stops, Republicans ought to reconsider granting this network their time. After all, what point is there in sitting for an interview when, no matter how well you may think you performed, you're just going to be taken out of context and made to look like a fool?
With that said, let’s look back at some of the worst cases of deceptive editing from the broadcast network.
1) SCRUBBING THE “MARYLAND MAN’S” CRIMINAL HISTORY FROM THE RECORD
First, we ought to address this latest example of CBS’s nasty deceptive editing habit. While explaining her agency’s intention to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the notorious “Maryland man” (read: illegal alien from El Salvador), Noem rattled off some highlights from his colorful criminal past.
Yet when the interview actually aired on Face the Nation, that entire part of her answer had been inexplicably cut from the segment:
ED O'KEEFE: One of the most high profile examples of someone who's been rounded up by ICE in recent months is Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and the fate of his situation is still up in the air. He's awaiting trial on human smuggling charges set for January in Tennessee, but your department is also working to get him deported to Uganda. If he broke the law in this country, as the administration alleges, shouldn't he be held here and face charges here instead of being deported?
KRISTI NOEM: Well, prosecution decisions are always made by the Department of Justice and in Pam Bondi's department, so we will let them do that. Although this individual does have criminal charges pending. He has charges pending against him civilly as well, and the one thing that we will continue to do is to make sure that he doesn't walk free in the United States of America.
[PORTION OF NOEM’S RESPONSE EXCISED FROM BROADCAST]: This individual was a known human smuggler, MS-13 gang member, an individual who was a wife beater and someone who was so perverted that he solicited nude photos from minors and even his fellow human traffickers told him to knock it off. He was so sick in what he was doing and how he was treating small children, so he needs to never be in the United States of America, and our administration is making sure we're doing all that we can to bring him to justice.*
Outraged, Noem took to social media, where she posted the full, unedited version of her response. After considerable backlash, CBS ended up posting the raw footage on their website.
2) CLEANING UP KAMALA HARRIS’S WORD SALAD ON ISRAEL
In July, CBS parent company Paramount reached a $16,000,000 settlement with President Trump over their selective editing of a 2024 interview with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
The Federal Communications Commission in February compelled CBS to turn over the full, unedited transcript of Harris’s interview, which they subsequently released to the public. After reviewing the clips of the interview that aired on 60 Minutes and Face the Nation, and comparing those to the freshly-released transcript, NewsBusters was able to confirm that the network done a pretty thorough cleanup job on Harris’s nonsensical answer to a question about Israel:
[BOTH 60 MINUTES AND FTN] BILL 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 administration 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 US have no sway over Prime Minister Netanyahu?
[ONLY ON FTN] KAMALA HARRIS: Well, let's start with this— um — on this subject. 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 I think that is the most recent example of why what we do to assist in their defense around military aid is important. And when we think about the threat that Hamas, Hezbollah presents, 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…
[60 MINUTES ANSWER STARTS HERE] HARRIS: …Now, the work that we do diplomatically with the leadership of Israel is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles…
[ONLY ON FTN] HARRIS: …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 gonna stop in terms of putting that pressure on Israel and and in the region including with other leaders in the region, including Arab leaders.
(…)
[BOTH 60 MINUTES AND FTN] WHITAKER: But it seems that Prime Minister Netanyahu is not listening.
[THIS PART NOT ON 60 MINUTES NOR FTN] WHITTAKER: Um, The Wall Street Journal said that your administration has repeatedly been blindsided by Netanyahu, and, in fact, he has rebuffed just about all of your administration's entreaties.
[ONLY ON FTN] 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 and we're not gonna stop doing that…
[60 MINUTES ANSWER STARTS HERE]: …we're 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.
(…)
3) MIKE JOHNSON GETS THE KRISTI NOEM TREATMENT
In October of 2024, the network pulled a similar trick on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), slicing out five minutes out of a fifteen-minute interview, in which he made some points that CBS apparently deemed too compelling to air.
Like Noem, Johnson immediately posted the removed portions of his interview on X, which, of course, consisted entirely of substantive responses from the Speaker which added meaningful context to his full answers.
Below is the most egregious example he shared:
MARGARET BRENNAN: Respectfully, Speaker, you both, in the course of this interview, said that you do believe that states have taken measures that will help the integrity of this election
SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: That's true-
BRENNAN: – and then you just also seem to undermine confidence in the integrity of the state elections–
JOHNSON: No, no. Margaret. Hold on. Wait a minute. Wait, wait just a minute. It's not me undermining it. It's the actions of the Biden-Harris administration and some of these states. Noncitizens are not allowed to vote under federal law.
[UNAIRED PORTION]
BRENNAN: Right
JOHNSON: But the states have prohibited it. We passed the SAVE act. You know, in the house, the SAVE Act says you gotta have proof of citizenship before you register to vote. And Chuck Schumer and the Democrats blocked that in the Senate. We could have prevented this, the questions that people have about that, but the Democrats chose not to. They opened the border wide. A lot of people theorize that that was so that they could have non citizens to vote. These are realities, Margaret. I wish it weren't true, but that's what's, that's the concern that people have. And Wisconsin– [CROSSTALK]
BRENNAN: – But, but. People can have lots of concerns, but it is already law that noncitizens cannot vote in federal elections.
JOHNSON: It is a law. That's correct, but we have to make sure the law is followed. And that is the whole point. That has always been the whole point of the SAVE Act and all the measures that we've tried to ensure. I believe, by my count, we have about 16 million illegal aliens in the country since Mayorkas and Harris and Biden opened the border wide. And because of that, there's concern, because those people are distributed all around the country, as you know, there's concern some of those people will try to participate in the elections.
Look, some of our House races. I believe the Republicans are going to win the House, grow the House majority, win the Senate and the White House. But in some of our House races, I mean, I have a colleague who was elected by six votes in 2020. Some of these are decided by hundreds or a few 1000s of votes. So if you have non citizens participating against the law, and you have no mechanism in some states to stop it. That is the root of so much of the concern. And of course, you know, in California, they have ballot harvesting right? Ballot harvesting is notorious for opening the door for fraud in Wisconsin, they're going to put—
BRENNAN: — Mr. Speaker, you seem to be
JOHNSON: – In some counties unmanned ballot boxes in public parks, again
BRENNAN: Contradicting yourself. The states are run by the state government–
JOHNSON: No. I'm stating the facts, Margaret.
BRENNAN: – Not the federal government.
JOHNSON: That's right. That's correct. And that's yeah we hope and pray-
[AIRED PORTION RESUMES]
BRENNAN: So if your issue is with certain governors, shouldn't you be talking to them?
JOHNSON: We have been- we have been and the Republican governors have done heroic work. They've done their own audits of the voter rolls to try to ensure and do their best duty to make sure that this is a free, fair and legal election. We're calling on all the governors to do the same thing, Democrat governors as well, and Democrat led states in the legislature, they need to do the same thing.
4) TRUMP BRINGS THE RECEIPTS ON HUNTER'S LAPTOP, GETS MEMORY HOLED
In October of 2020, just weeks before the presidential election, 60 Minutes ran a heavily edited interview with then-President Trump. At the time, the corporate media were involved in a concerted blackout of any and all information about Hunter Biden’s notorious laptop, and so, naturally, the network sliced almost every instance in which Trump brought it up.
Naturally, Trump posted a raw recording to Twitter, which exposed just how thoroughly the show had tampered with the interview.
LESLEY STAHL: So this story about Hunter and his laptop, some repair shop found it, the source is Steve Bannon and Rudy Giuliani.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I don’t know anything about that. I just know it’s a laptop and they haven’t-
STAHL: And you’re making this one of the hottest, most important issues...
TRUMP: I don’t know about the two gentlemen you mentioned.
STAHL: It’s an important issue-
TRUMP: It’s a very important issue to find out whether or not a man is corrupt, who’s running for president. Who’s accepted money from China, and from Ukraine, and from Russia. Yeah, I think that’s an important issue.
STAHL: All these things have been investigated and discredited.
TRUMP: It’s incredible the way you can try and say this and sit there and look me in the eye and say it. He accepted money, his family, from Russia, from Ukraine, from China and from other places. His brother who didn’t have experience became a big builder in Iraq, without experience. Take a look at what’s going on, Lesley. And then you say that shouldn’t be discussed? It’s the biggest scandal out there, Lesley.
STAHL: And you think it’s the biggest issue to campaign on?
TRUMP: I think it’s one of the biggest scandals I’ve ever seen, and you don’t cover it. You want to talk about-
STAHL: Well, because it can’t be verified.
TRUMP: You want to talk about insignificant things.
STAHL: I’m telling you.
TRUMP: Of course it can be verified. Excuse me, they found a laptop. Lesley, listen.
STAHL: It can’t be verified.
TRUMP: What can’t be verified?
STAHL: The laptop.
TRUMP: Why do you say that? Even the family hasn’t… The family on the laptop… He’s gone into hiding for five days, he’s gone into hiding.
STAHL: He’s preparing for your debate.
TRUMP: Oh, it’s taking him five days to prepare? I doubt it, I doubt it. Okay, go ahead
5) 60 MINUTES FALSELY ACCUSES DESANTIS, THEN EDITS OUT HIS REBUTTAL
In April of 2021, 60 Minutes aired CBS correspondent Sharon Alfonsi’s deceptive hit piece accusing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis of engaging in a “pay for play” scheme involving COVID-19 vaccines.
The segment included a clip of Alfonsi confronting the Governor at a press conference, in which he seemingly dodged her question and declared the issue settled without providing any evidence. But that clip excluded nearly two substantive minutes in which DeSantis explicitly debunked Alfonsi’s accusations, piece by piece.
In removing that part of the Governor’s answer, Alfonsi warped his detailed rebuttal into a dismissive dodge.
Below is a video from the Daily Caller showing the edited exchange aired by 60 Minutes, followed by the portion they left out: