Senate Democrats Slam FCC For ‘Politically Motivated’ Investigations ‘At Behest’ Of Trump

Jonathan Newton/Getty ImagesSenate Democrats accused FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr of carrying out “politically motivated” investigations at the “at the behest of President Donald Trump” that turn the agency into a political weapon against media outlets that don’t align with his views.

In a letter sent to Carr and Republican Commissioner Nathan Simington on Tuesday, Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and Gary Peters (D-MI) blasted the FCC’s recent moves, which they argue amount to government interference in the press.

Since taking the position, Carr pushed for a review of a “60 Minutes” interview transcript with Vice President Kamala Harris, amid Trump claims of bias, and revived Biden-era complaints against ABC, CBS, and NBC, but notably not Fox. The lawmakers also took issue with Carr’s investigations into PBS and NPR, which they say are politically driven. They specifically called out Carr’s public push to defund the two networks, calling it “a partisan political goal of congressional Republicans that is outside the FCC’s jurisdiction.”

“Taken together, these efforts appear politically motivated and designed to punish, censor or intimidate members of the free press based on political disagreement with editorial choices. This weaponization of the FCC is unacceptable. We urge you to immediately cease such conduct and respect the First Amendment,” the senators wrote.

The senators suggested these actions were taken “at the behest” of Trump, tying Carr and Simington’s regulatory agenda directly to MAGA political objectives. They further argued that the full transcript of the Harris interview showed standard editorial discretion, not distortion as Carr had suggested.

Last week, Carr also announced a new investigation into Comcast and NBCUniversal’s DEI policies he says might violate civil rights law.

On X, however, Carr hinted at even broader actions, declaring that “the FCC will be taking fresh action to ensure that every entity the FCC regulates complies with the civil rights protections enshrined in the Communications Act and the agency’s [equal employment opportunity] rules, including by shutting down any programs that promote invidious forms of DEI discrimination.”

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