The Federal Communication Commission’s news distortion investigation into CBS Broadcasting already is facing criticism from left-wing groups warning about attacks on the press. Now, a coalition of center-right organizations is calling for the probe to be ended entirely.

A conservative legal organization, the Center for American Rights, filed a complaint with the FCC over CBS’ editing of its “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Harris. The complaint was dismissed by the former Biden-appointed FCC chairwoman, Jessica Rosenworcel. However, it was revived by President Trump’s pick to lead the agency, Brendan Carr. 

A group of center-right organizations, such as the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, Americans for Tax Reforms, American Commitment, the Center for Individual Freedom, and Digital Liberty, sent a letter to Mr. Carr urging him to end the probe –for a slightly different reason than the left-wing groups that have also called for its end.

“While we understand the concerns that motivate the complaint, we nonetheless fear that an adverse ruling against CBS would constitute regulatory overreach and advance precedent that can be weaponized by future FCCs,” the letter said. “To be clear, we do not view this complaint in isolation. For years, Democrats and leftwing activist groups have repeatedly worked to weaponize the White House, Congress, the FCC, and other agencies against news outlets, media, and tech companies.”

The groups criticized the “asymmetry” of the “pundits and free speech advocates” currently criticizing the FCC’s CBS probe as a “threat to democracy” who were “silent when the politics of the parties involved were different.”

From Congressional Democrats sending letters to cable and streaming companies asking for information on why they carried conservative outlets such as Fox News to the Biden administration’s pressure on social media companies to remove certain content about the Covid-19 pandemic, the conservative organizations warn of politicians trying to “silence dissent” from both ends of the political spectrum.

“We understand and appreciate why many conservatives would seek to now ‘level the playing field’ and subject other media organizations — such as CBS’s parent company Paramount — to the same regulatory cudgel that has long afflicted conservative media. However, we believe the right course of action today is to work to insulate the Commission from such pressures, not to replicate them in a different context,” the groups said. 

The groups warned that “any adverse ruling against CBS as a result of CAR’s petition would create far more harm than good, including for the future of conservative media.”

In an email to Reuters, Mr. Carr appeared to reject the request, saying, “The FCC’s review of the complaint against CBS remains active and ongoing.”

The news distortion investigation was spawned by a complaint from the conservative law firm, the Center for American Rights, over “60 Minutes” selective editing of Ms. Harris’s answer to a question about Prime Minister Netanyahu to remove what critics say was a “word salad.”

 The editing was exposed after “60 Minutes” gave clips of the Netanyahu question-and-answer sequence to other CBS News platforms, “Face the Nation” and CBSNews.com. When these outlets broadcast the clips, observers noted that Ms. Harris gave three different answers to the same question on the three different CBS News platforms.

CBS has defended the editing of the interview and asked the FCC to dismiss its investigation, saying that the complaint behind it “envisions a less free world in which the federal government becomes a roving censor.”

The FCC says that it investigates allegations of “news distortion,” or incidents when public broadcasters are accused of “rigging or slanting the news.”

CBS’ effort to dismiss the complaint comes as its parent company, Paramount Global, is in the midst of a merger agreement with Skydance, which requires the government’s approval. CBS is also reportedly trying to settle Mr. Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit, which he brought after the “60 Minutes” interview. 

If the FCC were to issue an adverse ruling against CBS for its “60 Minutes” edits, it could lead to fines, but it could also negatively impact Paramount’s merger.