Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr told reporters Thursday that the White House did not push him to order an early review of ABC’s eight broadcast licenses.
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“There was no pressure from the outside. There was no suggestion from the outside,” Carr said at a news conference. “There was no call for agency action from the outside. This was based on our assessment of where we were.”
The FCC, which regulates the broadcast industry, announced its early review on Tuesday, a day after President Donald Trump publicly called on ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for a joke he made about first lady Melania Trump last week.
Carr, a Trump appointee who regularly assails the media, reiterated Thursday that the review of ABC’s licenses stemmed from a yearlong investigation into diversity, equity and inclusion practices at Disney, the parent company of ABC.
He insisted the review was not related to “speech” on ABC’s airwaves.
“In this particular case,” Carr told reporters, “this action is driven by investigation into DEI conduct, not any speech at all.” He said he agreed with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who earlier this week said he believed the FCC should not act as the “speech police.”
First Amendment advocates sharply criticized the FCC and Carr this week, arguing in part that the agency’s directive to Disney was a clear case of retaliation.
“The FCC may claim these actions are based on DEI policies and have nothing to do with Jimmy Kimmel, but its timing makes it clear these justifications are a fig leaf,” said Bob Corn-Revere, counsel at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
The White House has blasted Kimmel for describing Melania Trump as an “expectant widow” in a sketch parodying the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner that aired last Thursday.
Two days after the sketch aired, a gunman opened fire outside the correspondents’ association event at a hotel in Washington, forcing the president and the first lady to rush out of the ballroom.
The suspect faces three charges, including attempting to assassinate the president of the United States.
Kimmel defended his remarks Monday, saying in part: “It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am. It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination.”
Disney has not publicly addressed the furor over Kimmel’s joke, but the media giant confirmed it has received the FCC’s order for a review of the licenses it owns in key media markets such as Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.
“ABC and its stations have a long record of operating in full compliance with FCC rules and serving their local communities with trusted news, emergency information, and public‑interest programming,” Disney said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We are confident that record demonstrates our continued qualifications as licensees under the Communications Act and the First Amendment and are prepared to show that through the appropriate legal channels,” the corporation added.
The FCC is also investigating DEI practices at Comcast, the parent company of NBC News.