(Bloomberg) — Democratic lawmakers ratcheted up their criticism of Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr after he successfully pressured Walt Disney Co.’s ABC network to pull late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s show this week.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Friday said Carr is “bullying” companies into censoring speech that is unfavorable to President Donald Trump. Democrats have called for his resignation and pledged to investigate his tenure at the helm of the FCC in the days following Kimmel’s show’s indefinite suspension.
“Carr is one of the single greatest threats to free speech America has ever known,” Schumer said at a press conference outside the Capitol. “He must resign, and Republicans should call for his firing immediately.”
ABC’s sudden decision to take the Jimmy Kimmel Live! program off the air on Wednesday over comments the host made about the killing of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk came just hours after Carr berated Kimmel on a podcast and suggested that the regulatory agency could take action against ABC.
Carr has since asserted his pressure did not influence Disney’s decision to pull Kimmel but he has suggested that more is to come.
Shortly after Carr’s comments, Nexstar Media Group Inc. announced it was pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live!, prompting Disney, ABC’s parent, to pause the program indefinitely. Nexstar is currently seeking approval for its $6.2 billion merger with Tegna Inc., another large station owner.
It’s the latest example of media companies taking actions that align with the Trump administration’s agenda. In July, CBS announced it was ending its late night show hosted by Stephen Colbert, another host who has been critical of Trump. The network cited costs associated with the program, although its parent, Paramount Global, was seeking FCC approval for its takeover by Skydance Media at the time. The approval was later granted.
Carr this year has also opened formal reviews of ABC, CBS and NBC, the largest broadcast networks. He’s criticized the networks for their diversity policies and suggested some of them could lose their licenses.
“We’re not done seeing the consequences” of the shifting media ecosystem, Carr said during a Thursday interview with CNBC.
Trump on Thursday suggested television networks could have their licenses revoked if they give him negative coverage.
“We are in a moment of peril in America,” Schumer said Friday.
Democrats, led by Schumer and Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, sent a letter to Carr urging him to stop “censoring” media organizations.
(Updates with context, starting in sixth paragraph.)
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