House Dem Tells Brendan Carr China Would Be ‘Impressed’ With How He Runs FCC in Heated Clash

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr faced some sharp criticisms on Wednesday while testifying before the House subcommittee, including from Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL).

During Wednesday’s hearing, Soto declared President Donald Trump has the “most corrupt administration in modern history” and he accused Carr of turning the FCC into “Trump’s attack dog.”

Soto said:

President Trump has the most corrupt administration in modern history. $2 billion cryptocurrency scandal, pay-to-play pardons, pardoning January 6th insurrectionists, an Epstein pedophile cover-up, White House ballrooms that are lavish, and the Trump family getting rich off of official U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and beyond. And when the national media like CBS, ABC, and NBC covered these egregious scandals or use satire, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, tried to crush them using his power as FCC chairman. CBS covers the cryptocurrency corruption, pardon of the Binance founder, then CBS is forced to install a bias monitor two days after the merger approval under pressure from Carr and Trump, along with an extortion payment of $16 million.

Soto was referring to the merger between Paramount and Skydance, approved under Trump’s administration. CBS also made a $16 million settlement with the president after he sued over a 60 Minutes segment. The lawsuit was settled shortly before the merger was approved. Under the merger, the role of a bias monitor, or ombudsman, was created.

Soto also took issue with the brief suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel in September over a joke about assassinated-conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Carr drew criticism for weighing in on the matter and suggesting he could take action against ABC.

“Frankly, when you see stuff like this, I mean, look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” he said at the time. “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

Soto also noted Trump and Carr have also targeted late-night host Seth Meyers.

“ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel uses satire to criticize Trump. Carr threatens their license. NBC’s Seth Meyers uses satire to criticize Trump, Chairman Carr echoes Trump’s call for Meyers’s ouster. Chairman, you’ve turned the FCC into Trump’s attack dog. To crush First Amendment rights through FCC extortion, the Chinese Communist Party would be impressed,” Soto said.

“I have an obligation to operate in the public interest,” Carr said. “And in 2021, this letter right here to the FCC asking us to take action when there was a transaction pending at the FCC involving a Spanish-language radio station in South Florida.”

Soto continued trying to ask a question while Carr spoke, and they ended up talking over each other for much of the time.

“Is it not in the public interest for people to know about what’s happening in this administration?” Soto asked as Carr continued speaking about the letter “pressuring the FC to block a sale because Democrats thought it would be bad.”

“You serve the American people. What is at issue is blatant corruption by the Trump administration and you are trying to hide it, and everybody knows it,” Soto shot back.

The congressman then moved on from Carr and asked FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez how “public confidence” can be restored in the FCC after Carr leaves his position.

“Thank you for that question. I think Congress can really help us here by putting guardrails on the FCC so that it cannot violate the First Amendment and censor content on broadcasters,” she said.

Watch above via CSPAN.