Quick Hit:

Allegations have surfaced that CNN aired just 18 minutes of a 41-minute joint interview with Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. A social media user claiming inside knowledge suggested that significant portions of the interview were cut due to objections from Harris's team, raising questions about what may have been omitted.

Key Details:

A Twitter user, Paulie (@PkgcGop), who claims to have inside knowledge at CNN, tweeted that the network had 41 minutes of footage but that "Kamala Harris and her team objected to over half of the already taped interview."
Paulie alleged that Harris’s team pressured CNN into cutting significant portions of the interview.
Paulie also tweeted that Harris avoided answering tough questions about how she could support both the Green New Deal and fracking, suggesting that these segments were removed because "she didn’t have an answer for it except to say she will ‘get it done.’"

Diving Deeper:

Questions have arisen following allegations that CNN aired only 18 minutes of a 41-minute interview with Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. The interview, conducted by Dana Bash, was Harris’s first major media appearance since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, nearly 40 days since President Biden’s withdrawal from the race.

A Twitter user, Paulie (@PkgcGop), who claimed to have inside knowledge at CNN, tweeted that the network had recorded 41 minutes of footage but that "Kamala Harris and her team objected to over half of the already taped interview." Paulie further alleged that Harris avoided answering tough questions, such as how she could fully support both the Green New Deal and fracking, and that those segments were removed from the final broadcast. Paulie questioned, "What does that even mean? Seriously," referring to Harris's vague responses.

During the aired portion, Harris was questioned on several key policy issues, including her past statements on fracking. When asked by Bash if she still supported banning fracking, Harris claimed, "No, and I made that clear on the debate stage in 2020... I kept my word, and I will keep my word."

Harris also addressed the issue of immigration, particularly her role in addressing the root causes of migration from Central America. She claimed that her work as vice president had "resulted in a number of benefits," including a reduction in the number of immigrants coming from the region, despite crossings reaching record highs. However, when pressed on why the Biden-Harris administration waited three and a half years to implement sweeping asylum restrictions, Harris cast blame on Trump, claiming that they had worked with Congress on a border security bill, which Trump and Congressional Republicans did not endorse: "He told his folks in Congress, 'Don’t put it forward.' He killed the bill."

Governor Tim Walz also took part in the interview, discussing his military service and the importance of addressing gun violence. Walz candidly acknowledged a past misstatement about his military service, saying, "My wife the English teacher told me my grammar’s not always correct."

Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton later commented on the pair's performance, questioning Harris' ability to handle high-stakes situations. “Kamala Harris needed Tim Walz as a heat shield and ended the interview after 18 minutes? How will she handle her first summit with Putin or Xi? Will she insist on a break after 18 minutes to get new talking points? Kamala Harris is dangerously unprepared to be our commander-in-chief,” Cotton remarked.

Similarly, Vivek Ramaswamy took aim at what he sees as the broader issue with Harris’s candidacy, stating, “Kamala’s interview last night was a reminder that we’re not running against a candidate. We’re running against a system. They require a candidate they can control, which means having original ideas is a disqualification. That’s exactly why we get Biden, then Kamala, and so on.”