CBS embroiled in editing scandal with Mike Johnson

Speaker Mike Johnson is claiming that CBS News has dishonestly edited his Face the Nation interview to make him look bad. The accusation comes just a week after the network was also widely accused of manipulating its 60 Minutes interview with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in order to help her. The speaker posted side-by-side clips on his social media showing glaring disparities in what made the TV cut during the Sunday Face the Nation interview and his much longer response that wasn't aired.

He is accusing CBS of specifically editing out answers he gave about Hurricane Helene damage and FEMA money as well as the threat of illegal migrants voting in the election. That amounted to cutting out five 'important minutes out of my nearly 15 minute interview.' 'You can be the judge as to why,' he went on before running through the specific cuts.

'CBS selectively edited out entirely this first-hand perspective,' he accused CBS on social media about his Hurricane Helene answer. 'I recently traveled to NC and victims of Hurricane Helene told me nearly two weeks after landfall, the Biden-Harris Administration had still not provided them with all the resources they desperately needed,' he posted on X in a thread featuring allegedly deceptive editing by the network. Johnson staff appeared to have filmed the speaker from inside the studio. It appears as though much of what he said on the video recorded by staff was edited out by the network.

He discussed in depth about the hurricane relief funds distributed by the Biden administration. According to the on-air clip, he said Biden and Harris 'obligated some funds, but they've only distributed two percent.' But in the video put out by the speaker's office, Johnson went on for far longer.

'So they've obligated some funds, but they've only distributed two percent. When I was there on the ground, and you should go, I mean bring the cameras and talk to the people there, they'll tell you,' he stated. 'Don't take a politician's word for this, or the administration's word for this, talk to people there on the ground. They had not been provided the resources, almost two weeks after the storm, that they desperately needed.' 'And when I saw there, 13 days post the storm hitting that state, people are still being rescued… stuck in the higher elevations and the mountains because the roads are down… they need every available resource and all-hands on deck. The rescue and recovery effort is still going on, and then we address the rest of it,' Johnson said in the video put out by staff.

The discrepancies between the two versions drew viral attention online. 'Wow, this is active deception by CBS!' X Owner Elon Musk wrote on his platform reposting the Republican's video. In another post in the chain Johnson accuses the network of editing his responses about Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. 'Apparently, CBS also doesn't want you to hear about Virginia Gov. Youngkin, who is trying to clean the state's voter rolls so non-American citizens can't vote there,' he writes accompanying a new homemade side by side video.

'We need more states doing this, but the Biden-Harris Administration is suing Virginia and trying to stop it.' In a third post the Republican speaker slammed the network for editing his answer on immigration. 'The Biden-Harris Admin let millions of illegal aliens in our country,' he wrote. 'So, the House passed the SAVE Act to ensure only American citizens vote in American elections.' 'CBS edited that out and focused on 2020 instead of immediate threats to election integrity.'

Last week after Harris's controversial 60 Minutes interview, Donald Trump called for CBS to release the transcripts. The former president accused the network of trying to make his Democratic competitor look 'more presidential' and accused them of committing a 'campaign finance violation' for favorably editing the clip of the 2024 hopeful. He said they tried to run cover for her 'word salad' responses.

A number of lawmakers have joined in, demanding the network produce the full transcript of the sitdown. The 60 Minutes interview as part of Harris' media blitz before Election Day aired Monday night and the network put the episode on the show's official YouTube page. She has since reportedly planned an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan , as has Trump, who said recently 'In fact, I think I'm doing it.'

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