A recent television interview with the former president was significantly shortened before broadcast, with notable portions left on the cutting room floor. The unaired segments included the interviewee’s pointed remarks about a past legal settlement with the network and his praise for its new corporate leadership.
The sit-down conversation, which lasted approximately an hour and a half, was condensed to under 30 minutes for the Sunday night program. The network subsequently released a full transcript and an extended version online.
This editing process has drawn particular attention due to a prior lawsuit. Last year, the former president had taken legal action against the same news division, alleging deceptive editing in a separate political interview. That case was settled out of court several months ago. As part of that resolution, the network agreed to release transcripts of future interviews with presidential candidates.
In one excised clip, the former president referenced that settlement, stating the network had been “forced to pay me a lot of money” over the prior editing dispute. He added, “You can’t have fake news. You’ve gotta have legit news.”
Another omitted portion featured strong endorsement of the network’s recent change in ownership, following its acquisition by a private media company. The interviewee called the sale “the greatest thing that’s happened in a long time to a free and open and good press.” He also complimented the network’s newly appointed editor-in-chief, whom he described as a “great new leader,” while noting he did not know her personally.
Other edited-out exchanges included discussions on election integrity and a back-and-forth regarding local crime statistics, where the interviewer declined to offer a personal assessment.
The correspondent hosting the interview acknowledged the prior settlement at the broadcast’s outset but clarified it included no apology or admission of wrongdoing by the network. She did not directly address the on-air praise for her employer’s new ownership or leadership during the televised segments.