By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) – The Trump administration is engaged in a targeted effort to censor Disney and its ABC network through a series of sweeping regulatory actions, the only Democrat on the Federal Communications Commission said on Monday.
“What Disney and ABC are facing is not a series of coincidental regulatory actions but a sustained, coordinated campaign of censorship and control, carried out through the weaponization of the FCC’s authority as a federal regulator and aimed at pressuring a free and independent press and all media into submission,” FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez wrote in a letter to Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro.
Last month, Republican FCC Chairman Brendan Carr ordered an unusual early review of licenses for Disney’s eight ABC stations. The FCC has not revoked a broadcast license in more than four decades.
Disney’s broadcast licenses were not scheduled to be reviewed before October 2028. After a joke by ABC late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel drew calls from the White House for the comedian to be fired, the FCC quickly ordered the review.
Carr is also investigating ABC daytime talk show “The View” after declaring it is subject to federal equal time rules for political candidates.
In February, the FCC said it was probing whether “The View” violated equal time rules for interviews with political candidates, after an appearance by Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico. The FCC said TV talk shows are no longer considered “bona fide” news programs that are exempt from the rules.
In November, President Donald Trump demanded the FCC revoke ABC licenses after he criticized an ABC News correspondent for asking Saudi Arabia’s crown prince about the 2018 killing of a Washington Post columnist in a question he dubbed “insubordinate.”
In December 2024, ABC News agreed to give $15 million to the Trump presidential library to resolve a lawsuit over comments that anchor George Stephanopoulos made on air involving the civil case brought against Trump by writer E. Jean Carroll.
“That settlement did not buy you peace. It only bought you time. Disney’s experience since then has made one thing undeniable for any company facing the same pressure. You cannot buy this administration’s favor. For the right price, you can only borrow it. And the price always goes up,” Gomez wrote.
Disney and Carr did not respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Paul Simao)
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