CNBC Host Grill Trump FCC Chair Over Accusations He’s Working to ‘Chill Free Speech’

CNBC host Sara Eisen interviewed Trump’s handpicked Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, on Tuesday and confronted him with the accusation that his threats against news networks “chill free speech.”

“The critics of yours would say you’re trying to chill free speech and also chill any negative reporting and criticism of this administration,” Eisen noted during the interview.

“Well, ultimately, it’s about more speech, not less. So again, political equal opportunity means that you get more candidates potentially on, more air time, more speech, more views,” Carr replied, adding:

The same thing with the conflict of interest principle, which is about disclosure and telling people more. So people are free to say anything they want. And if people don’t like complying with the public interest obligations that come with a license, they’re free to switch over to cable or streaming or YouTube TV. So right now there are lots of ways to get your message out there if you don’t want to comply with the unique rules that apply in the broadcast media.

At another point during the interview, Eisen asked, “You’ve used your authority differently to promote coverage you want to see. Is that fair?”

“Well, licenses aren’t sacred cows. There is certainly conduct that broadcasters can engage in — and maybe they have — that will result in them losing their licenses,” Carr threatened.

Carr kicked up controversy last week with an attack on CNN after the network angered Trump by covering a statement from Iran, which was widely covered across the news media.

“More outrageous conduct from CNN,” Carr wrote on social media, while sharing Trump’s post. He added:

Fake news is bad enough for the country, but pushing out a hoax headline in such a sensitive national security moment as this requires accountability.

Iran put out an official statement that simply cannot be squared with the one CNN’s false headline attributes to them.

Time for change at CNN.

The FCC, notably, does not oversee CNN, which is a cable news network, but the Trump administration does have influence over any merger that may result in CNN changing ownership.

Watch the clip above via CNBC.

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