Adds more details, comment from Democratic FCC commissioner in paragraphs 4-11

By David Shepardson and Dawn Chmielewski

WASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday made public the transcript and full video of CBS News' "60 Minutes" interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris as part of its investigation.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the agency was seeking public comments on the issues raised in a complaint, which alleges the interview violates the FCC's rules on "news distortion." Paramount's PARA.O CBS, which turned over the unredacted video and transcript this week to the FCC, also posted the transcript and video on its website.

CBS said on Wednesday the transcripts "show – consistent with 60 Minutes' repeated assurances to the public – that the 60 Minutes broadcast was not doctored or deceitful."

Carr, appointed by President Donald Trump last week, said the commission had reinstated a complaint into the appearance.

"CBS played the same question on two different programs and clearly the words of the answers were very different," Carr said earlier this week. "Was it edited for clarity and length - which would be fine - or are there other reasons?"

CBS said Wednesday it broadcast a longer portion of the vice president's answer on "Face the Nation" and a shorter one on "60 Minutes." The network said "each excerpt reflects the substance of the vice president's answer."

Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said the transcript and footage of this interview "provide no evidence that CBS and its affiliated broadcast stations violated FCC rules.... The FCC should now move to dismiss this fishing expedition to avoid further politicizing our enforcement actions."

In October, Trump filed a lawsuit against CBS seeking $10 billion over the interview with Harris that he called "misleading," and asked the commission to compel CBS to release the transcript.

Last week, the New York Times reported that Paramount representatives were in settlement talks to resolve the Trump lawsuit. Paramount is seeking FCC approval for an $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.

The FCC is reviewing whether the broadcast violates "news distortion" rules. Though the agency is prohibited from censorship or infringing the First Amendment rights of media, broadcasters cannot intentionally distort the news.

Last week, the FCC reinstated complaints about how Walt Disney's DIS.N ABC News moderated the pre-election TV debate between then-President Joe Biden and Trump, as well as a complaint on Comcast-owned CCZ.N NBC letting Harris appear on "Saturday Night Live" before the election.

The FCC, an independent federal agency, issues eight-year licenses to individual broadcast stations, not networks.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Lisa Shumaker)

((David.Shepardson@thomsonreuters.com; 2028988324;))