Press Freedom Group Urges Incoming Congressional Democrats To Impeach FCC Chairman Brendan Carr

A press freedom organization is urging the incoming Democratic Congress to take on impeachment proceedings against another Trump administration figure: the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr. Reporters Without Borders released a statement on Monday urging the new Congress to impeach Mr. Carr for his “consistent abuse of his office.”“The American people have decisively rejected the Trump administration’s trampling of the Constitution,” the executive director of Reporters Without Borders, Clayton Weimers, said in a statement. “Few individuals have been more instrumental to the White House’s campaign to weaken the First Amendment than Brendan Carr.”Mr. Weimers said Reporters Without Borders has “never before called for the removal of a U.S. official.” However, the “severity and persistence” of Mr. Carr’s “misconduct” requires an “extraordinary response,” he said.The incoming chairman of the Senate permanent subcommittee on investigations, Richard Blumenthal, sent a letter to Mr. Carr on Thursday as a reminder of his previous requests for documents — and to signal that Senate Democrats plan to investigate him once they take power. Mr. Blumenthal accused Mr. Carr of using the FCC to “chill First Amendment-protected speech and independent, fact-based news reporting.”During President Trump’s second term, Mr. Carr has opened investigations into broadcasters’ diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, arguing they violate federal anti-discrimination laws. According to the chairman, the commission’s investigation into DEI policies at ABC’s parent company, the Walt Disney Company, led to the decision to challenge eight local ABC stations’ broadcast licenses. Critics say the challenge to the licenses is a form of punishment, noting the order came just days after ABC’s late-night host, Jimmy Kimmel, made a joke about First Lady Melania Trump having a “glow” like an “expectant widow.”ABC is suing the FCC, alleging the challenge is a part of a “retaliatory campaign” against the network for producing content the administration dislikes. The FCC has also launched an investigation into ABC’s “The View” to determine whether the show violated the equal-time rule when it hosted Senator-elect James Talarico in February without extending an invitation to his primary opponent. ABC insists the show is a news program and qualifies for an exemption from the rule. Last year, Mr. Carr was accused of threatening action against the network if it did not fire Mr. Kimmel over a joke he made about the shooting of Charlie Kirk. The chairman has insisted he was not making a threat.Democrats have also alleged that the FCC launched a pretextual news distortion investigation into CBS News over its editing of Vice President Harris’s October 2024 “60 Minutes” interview. Mr. Trump alleged that the Tiffany Network improperly edited one of her answers about Israel to make it more concise. He sued the network for $20 billion.Mr. Trump’s lawsuit was filed as CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, was waiting for the FCC to approve its merger with Skydance. As the review of the transaction dragged on, Democrats claimed that the FCC was delaying the process to pressure Paramount to settle Mr. Trump’s lawsuit. In July 2025, Paramount paid $16 million to settle the lawsuit — without an apology for the edit. Roughly two weeks later, CBS announced that it would cancel “The Late Show,” hosted by Stephen Colbert. Skydance executives also made written commitments to eliminate DEI policies at Paramount. The following week, the FCC approved Paramount’s merger with Skydance.Mr. Carr has defended his actions by insisting he is simply enforcing existing laws and said that lawmakers could change the laws. He has also suggested networks could give up their broadcast licenses and seek alternate platforms — such as cable or YouTube — if they do not want to be subject to what he says are the obligations and restrictions that come with the licenses.

Press Freedom Group Urges Incoming Congressional Democrats To Impeach FCC Chairman Brendan Carr

Press Freedom Group Urges Incoming Congressional Democrats To Impeach FCC Chairman Brendan Carr

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