Democrat Senators Criticize FCC Head Over Threats to Kimmel Show |
WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (Reuters)—The head of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission faced criticism Wednesday from Democrats at his first appearance before Congress since pressuring broadcasters to take ABC late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel off the air in September.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed FCC Chair Brendan Carr to take action against U.S. broadcasters, criticized news coverage, and said he will have a role in whether a proposed merger between Netflix and Warner Bros Discovery should go forward.
During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., told Carr, “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, and yet you’ve also used it........