Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air, but Congress is not done looking into whether his show was suspended due to unlawful pressure from the Federal Communications Commission.
On Wednesday, Sen. Adam Schiff and eight other senators sent a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr posing a series of questions about the episode.
They argued that Carr’s actions, along with President Trump’s lawsuits against media organizations and the defunding of public broadcasting, “represent the most blatant and coordinated attack on the free press in American history.”
“The FCC’s regulatory authority over broadcast licenses was never intended to serve as a weapon to silence criticism or punish satirical commentary,” Schiff and the other senators wrote. “Your agency’s mission is to serve the public interest, not to act as an enforcement arm for political retribution against media outlets that displease those in power.”
Kimmel stirred conservative backlash on Sept. 15 when he said that the “MAGA gang” was seeking to distance itself from Charlie Kirk’s killer for political gain. Disney-owned ABC suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live” two days later, after Carr threatened to take action against local affiliates over the remark, which he called “really sick.”
Carr has since downplayed his role in Kimmel’s suspension, saying that he never threatened to pull licenses and that Nexstar and Sinclair — two large ABC station groups — decided to preempt the show of their own accord.
A separate group of senators, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, sent a letter to the CEOs of Nexstar and Sinclair on Tuesday asking them to explain their actions, and particularly whether Nexstar’s decision had anything to do with its pending merger with Tegna, for which it needs FCC approval.
Schiff’s letter asks Carr to disclose any communications between the FCC and ABC, Disney or its affiliates, about the Kimmel show, as well as any communications with the White House.
“What specific statutory authority, if any, do you believe empowers the FCC to revoke a broadcaster’s license or impose fines on the basis of satirical or critical content?” the letter asks.
Carr has noted that local stations must uphold the “public interest,” and applauded Nexstar and Sinclair for preempting the show.
Carr could blow off the questions. Another Democratic senator, Ben Ray Luján, last week called on the Republican chairman of the Commerce Committee, Ted Cruz, to call Carr in for questioning on the issue.
Alone among Republicans, Cruz has been critical of Carr’s handling of the matter, saying it will “end up bad for conservatives” if the government starts threatening speech.
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