Republicans Kill Attempt to Subpoena FCC Chair After Jimmy Kimmel Suspension
This is your TPM evening briefing.
The House Oversight Committee voted Thursday to table a motion to subpoena Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr to testify about ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel due to the host’s comments on Charlie Kirk’s killing.
The vote came down on party lines.
Ranking member Robert Garcia (D-CA), though, said that he and committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) had been talking during the hearing and are “gonna try to work together on an effort to bring in Mr. Carr in front of the Oversight Committee.”
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) had earlier introduced the motion to subpoena Carr at an unrelated hearing on Washington D.C., featuring the district’s leadership.
Despite the ultimate vote, Comer was surprisingly amenable to the idea.
“I know Brendan Carr well,” Comer said after scheduling the vote. “I think we could do that. I don’t think the motion’s necessary, but I’m pretty confident he would be willing to come in to testify.”
Khanna, in response, brought up the other recent issue where Comer had worked with the committee’s Democrats, leading bipartisan votes to subpoena documents from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate.
Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) introduced the motion to table the subpoena effort, claiming that Kirk’s alleged killer Tyler Robinson was a member of “antifa.”
Her comments agitated the audience, and prompted an objection from Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX).
Kimmel said on his show Monday night: “We hit some new lows over the weekend, with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
Carr, in an interview with right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson, threatened ABC and Disney with adverse FCC action if they didn’t “take action” on Kimmel. The media behemoths pulled Kimmel from the air indefinitely directly after.
Democratic leadership has demanded that Carr resign.
— Kate Riga
Ominous Follow-up From Carr
During an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” Thursday Carr outlined his belief that the FCC and the American “media ecosystem” overall are in the midst of a “massive shift,” given the “permission structure that President Trump’s election has provided.”
“And I would simply say we’re not done yet with seeing the consequences of that,” Carr said.
“What does that mean when you say you’re not done yet?” CNBC anchor David Faber asked. “Then, I mean, will you only be pleased when none of these comedians have a show on broadcast television?”
“No, it’s not any particular show or any particular person. It’s just we’re in the midst of a very disruptive moment right now, and I just, frankly, expect that we’re going to continue to see changes in the media ecosystem,” Carr said.
— Nicole Lafond
Trump Says Networks That Criticize Him ‘Not Allowed to Do That’
When asked about Kimmel’s indefinite suspension — for making remarks about the potential political ideology held by the guy who allegedly killed Kirk — Trump went on a rant about how late night and network shows criticize him and suggested that those that don’t offer view points that he likes should “not allowed to do that,” before suggesting their licenses should be taken away.
“I read someplace that the networks were 97 percent against me. Again, 97 percent negative, and yet I won and easily won all seven swing states. The popular vote, won everything,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “They’re 97 percent against; they give me only bad press. I mean, they’re getting a license. I would think maybe their license should be taken away.”
“If you go back, I guess they haven’t had a conservative on in years or something somebody said. But when you go back, take a look, all they do is hit Trump,” he continued. “They’re licensed. They’re not allowed to do that. They’re an arm of the Democrat Party.”
Trump may be referring to an old Federal Communication Commission rule, the fairness doctrine, which mandated that networks that have licenses to broadcast must show differing viewpoints on current event issues on their shows. That rule was scrapped by the FCC in the 1980s.
— Nicole Lafond
FCC Commissioner Says Trump Admin is ‘Weaponizing its Licensing Authority’
During an Axios event on Thursday, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said that the FCC under the Trump administration is “weaponizing its licensing authority in order to bring broadcasters to heel” and called Kimmel’s suspension “a part of this administration’s campaign of censorship and control.”
“So, any pressure on these broadcasters to alter their broadcast because of their content is in fact inappropriate,” Gomez told Axios reporter Sara Fischer. “And I think it’s important to keep in mind the FCC doesn’t have the authority the ability, or the constitutional right to revoke a license because of content like this.”
— Nicole Lafond
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