The chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is forcefully pushing back on calls from former President Trump to punish broadcast networks that he says are not fair to him.
“While repeated attacks against broadcast stations by the former President may now be familiar, these threats against free speech are serious and should not be ignored,” FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement to The Hill on Thursday.
Rosenworcel was referencing a string of posts the former president has made on his Truth Social website suggesting CBS and ABC, two mainstream broadcast networks he regularly ridicules, be investigated over what he says is bias against him and in favor of Democrats.
Trump first ratcheted up his attacks against ABC News earlier this fall after anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis, who moderated his debate against Vice President Harris last month, offered real-time fact checks of his false or misleading statements that night.
This week, Trump went after CBS News after it aired an extensive interview with Harris on 60 Minutes, which the former president said the network “sliced and diced” to cast her in a positive light.
“60 Minutes is a major part of the News Organization of CBS, which has just created the Greatest Fraud in Broadcast History,” Trump wrote online on Thursday. “CBS should lose its license, and it should be bid out to the Highest Bidder, as should all other Broadcast Licenses, because they are just as corrupt as CBS — and maybe even WORSE!”
60 Minutes had invited Trump to participate in a similar interview, which Trump accepted and then backed out of after the network said it would fact check him.
Rosenworcel shot back at Trump in her statement on Thursday, defending the broadcast networks that have landed in the former president’s crosshairs.
“As I’ve said before, the First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy,” she said. “The FCC does not and will not revoke licenses for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage.”
Trump has previously called for Comcast, the patent company of NBC News and MSNBC, to be investigated “for treason” over coverage he says is too critical of him.
Democrats and media watchdogs have for months warned Trump could use the power of the federal government to crack down on media outlets he does not like if he wins next month’s presidential election.
