Hill Democratic Leaders Urge Carr Ouster Over Threats Against ABC

House Oversight Committee ranking member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., responded Thursday by launching an investigation into the Trump administration, ABC and Sinclair over the suspension of Kimmel’s show and Carr’s perceived role in influencing the decision. “We will not be silent as our freedoms are threatened by corrupt schemes and threats,” Garcia said in a statement. “Anyone who is complicit will need to answer to us.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and House Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., separately urged Carr to resign. “Carr should resign [or Trump] ought to fire him,” Schumer told reporters Thursday. “I can’t think of a greater threat to free speech than Carr in many, many years. He’s despicable. He’s anti-American.”

Carr “has engaged in the corrupt abuse of power [and] should resign immediately,” Jeffries said. “He has disgraced the office he holds by bullying ABC … and forcing the company to bend the knee to the Trump administration.” ABC and other media companies “have a lot to explain, [as the] censoring of artists and the cancellation of shows is an act of cowardice,” Jeffries said. “House Democrats will make sure the American people learn the truth, even if that requires the relentless unleashing of congressional subpoena power. This will not be forgotten.”

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., urged Carr to resign and unsuccessfully sought unanimous consent on the Senate floor Thursday to pass his new S. Res. 407, which he said would condemn Carr “for weaponizing government power against Disney and ABC." The resolution “affirms that the [FCC] does not and must not have the authority to punish broadcasters for the content of their programming,” Markey said. It also “declares that no American … should ever have to fear government retaliation for speaking their mind.” Carr “has shown himself unwilling and unable to uphold the responsibilities of his office, but the Senate can still uphold our responsibilities to the First Amendment,” Markey said. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., objected to Markey’s bid for unanimous consent.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., also promised future retribution from congressional Democrats. Carr’s “ass is going to be in a witness chair for a long time” if Democrats win back control of the House in the 2026 election, Swalwell said. “It’s ALL coming out. All of your corrupt deals.”

Hearing Pushback

Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., chair of the Congressional Black Caucus -- along with House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Doris Matsui, D-Calif., and Reps. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., and Darren Soto, D-Fla. -- used a Thursday hearing on a largely GOP-initiated set of broadband permitting bills (see 2509180069) to blast Carr. They called for the subpanel to hold an FCC oversight hearing that would look at his role in precipitating ABC’s actions against Kimmel. Clarke, speaking on Pallone's behalf, said Carr’s comments were “unprecedented, outrageous and, above all, dangerous.” House Communications should “have an opportunity to hold [Carr] accountable for the way he has weaponized the FCC against free speech and expression.”

Carr’s “threats” against ABC are “censorship, plain and simple, [and constitute] a direct attack on the First Amendment,” Matsui said. President Donald Trump “has twisted the FCC from an independent agency into a political lapdog to silence his critics. And Republicans are letting it happen. If they truly care about free speech, they'll pass my” Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act (HR-1880/S-867). That bill would bar the FCC from revoking licenses or taking other action against broadcasters based on the viewpoints they broadcast (see 2503070013). Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Maria Cantwell of Washington and Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Ben Ray Lujan of Mexico were among other Democrats who criticized Carr.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and other congressional Republicans either defended Carr or tried to downplay the issue. Thune told reporters that ABC made a “commercial, economic market decision” when it pulled Kimmel. “My preference would always be to let the companies make economic market decisions,” Thune said. “And you know, obviously, if they’ve got shows that are losing money and don’t have an audience, I think they’ll come to that conclusion.”

House Communications Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., urged subpanel members during the hearing to put “aside” misgivings about Carr and ABC’s treatment of Kimmel and “focus on the issue at hand.” However, he said it’s “a little bit curious that the folks are raising this issue this way,” given that two Communications Democrats -- former Reps. Anna Eshoo and Jerry McNerney, both of California -- pressed major providers in 2021 on why they carry Fox News, Newsmax and One America News Network (see 2102220068). Hudson also noted that Schumer and Jeffries pushed Fox News in 2023 to act against conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson a month before the channel fired him. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., later submitted both of the Democratic letters into the House Communications hearing record.

Ruiz countered with CNBC articles quoting Trump, who suggested Thursday that the federal government pull the broadcast licenses of networks that are “against” him, and Carr, who said “we’re not done yet.” There is “a difference between members of Congress doing oversight … versus [a U.S. president] actually demanding that people pull the license of people who disagree with them,” Ruiz said. He promised to question Carr “about these actions” at House Communications’ next FCC oversight hearing.

Meanwhile, Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Roger Marshall, R-Kan., filed the Charlie Kirk Act to bar the U.S. Agency for Global Media from using its funding to “influence public opinion within the United States” or distribute any of its content within the country. “From the end of World War II until the Obama administration, it was illegal for the US government to use the State Department’s foreign broadcasting apparatus to target American citizens with propaganda,” Lee said. “In 2013, these protections were taken away. My legislation restores this safeguard” in Kirk’s honor.