The now-infamous 60 Minutes interview featuring then-Vice President Kamala Harris — a central focus of former President Donald Trump’s multibillion-dollar lawsuit against CBS News — has just been nominated for an Emmy.
On Thursday, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced nominations for the 46th News & Documentary Emmy Awards. Among them, 60 Minutes earned multiple nods, including one in the Outstanding Edited Interview category for its primetime special with Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
The nomination adds fuel to an already explosive media and legal firestorm. Trump’s legal team argues that CBS edited the Harris interview in a way that misled the public in the crucial final days before the presidential election. The lawsuit — initially filed for $10 billion and later doubled to $20 billion — accuses CBS News and parent company Paramount Global of election interference.
The controversy centers on a question posed to Harris by correspondent Bill Whitaker regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a preview aired on Face the Nation, Harris gave what critics called a “word salad” response. But when the primetime 60 Minutes special aired, Harris’ answer was far more composed — prompting accusations that CBS had deliberately edited her response to avoid damaging backlash.
Even White House Communications Director Steven Cheung weighed in mockingly:
“Of course it’s nominated for best editing — it takes real talent to make Kamala Harris sound coherent. And even then, they failed,” he told Fox News Digital.
Following public backlash, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched an inquiry. FCC Chair Brendan Carr ordered CBS News to release the full unedited transcript and video — which the network had initially withheld. When released, the raw footage showed both versions of Harris’ comments came from the same response, simply split into different broadcasts. CBS aired the less-polished half first, then followed up with the cleaner cut during the primetime special.
Still, critics and Trump’s legal team argue that selective editing is a violation of the FCC’s “news distortion” policy. The stakes are high — not just for CBS, but for its parent company Paramount Global, which is actively pursuing a merger with Skydance Media. Sources claim Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, now favors settling Trump’s lawsuit to avoid regulatory pushback from a potential second Trump administration.
In a dramatic development, 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens resigned last week. He cited corporate interference and said he could no longer maintain editorial independence. Multiple CBS journalists on Evening News and 60 Minutes publicly praised Owens while subtly acknowledging the network’s internal struggles over the Trump lawsuit.
A CBS News insider described the current mood as tense:
“Nobody knows what the next shoe to drop is. It’s chaotic. Everyone’s in the dark about what’s coming next.”
Despite the Emmy nomination, not everyone inside CBS is celebrating. According to reports, some staffers view Trump’s lawsuit as “BS,” but fear a settlement would damage the integrity and public image of the news division. Many are bracing for what they believe will be a painful compromise in favor of business over journalism.