Democrats blast FCC Chair Carr’s broadcast license threats as anti-First Amendment, ‘totalitarian’
Published Sun, Mar 15 20265:05 PM EDT, Updated 2 Hours Ago
Key Points
- Democrats and free speech advocates blasted Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr for threatening to revoke broadcasters’ licenses over their coverage of the war in Iran.
- Carr on Saturday attacked broadcasters shortly after President Donald Trump called reports that Iran struck five U.S. tanker planes “fake news.”
- Critics said Carr’s comments amounted to an authoritarian assault on free speech.
VIDEO, 12:06
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2026/03/05/watch-cnbcas-full-interview-with-the-fcc-chairman-brendan-carr.html – Watch CNBC’s full interview with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr
Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr has drawn fierce backlash from Democratic lawmakers and free speech advocates for threatening to revoke broadcasters’ licenses over their coverage of the war in Iran.
Carr on Saturday blasted broadcasters shortly after President Donald Trump called reports that Iran struck five U.S. tanker planes “fake news.”
In a post on X, Carr warned that broadcasters will lose their licenses if they don’t “operate in the public interest.” “Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions – also known as the fake news – have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up,” Carr wrote in the post, which attached Trump’s statement on Truth Social earlier Saturday.
Democrats said Carr’s comments amounted to an authoritarian assault on free speech.
“Constitutional law 101: it’s illegal for the government to censor free speech it just doesn’t like about Trump’s Iran war,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wrote Saturday on X. “This threat is straight out of the authoritarian playbook.”
“We aren’t on the verge of a totalitarian takeover,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., wrote in a post on X. “WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.”
The FCC didn’t immediately return a request for comment from CNBC.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that five refueling tankers were struck during an Iranian missile strike on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
In a Truth Social post, Trump called that an “intentionally misleading headline,” citing the Journal, The New York Times and what he called other “Lowlife” papers.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, wrote on X that it would be “flagrantly unconstitutional” for the FCC to pull a broadcast license because it disagreed with coverage of the Iran war.
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., agreed, writing that such a move would be “flagrantly anti First Amendment” and “fascist.”
Even Trump ally Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., voiced his displeasure with Carr’s remarks.
Continue/Read Original Article: Democrats blast FCC Chair Carr’s broadcast license threats as anti-First Amendment, ‘totalitarian’
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