Sen. Adam Schiff and eight other senators sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr on Wednesday, questioning the FCC’s authority to commit so-called “political retribution against media outlets,” TheWrap has learned.
The group of Democrats further suggested Carr and President Donald Trump have been conducting “the most blatant and coordinated attack on the free press in American history.”
“The chilling effects of your public comments are evident in ABC’s response. While Disney reversed course on Sept. 22, 2025, stating that ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ will return to air following ‘thoughtful conversations,’ the timing of your threats and the broader pattern of government intimidation make clear that broadcasters were operating under extraordinary duress,” the senators wrote.
“The FCC’s regulatory authority over broadcast licenses was never intended to serve as a weapon to silence criticism or punish satirical commentary,” Schiff & Co. added. “Your agency’s mission is to serve the public interest, not to act as an enforcement arm for political retribution against media outlets that displease those in power.”
“What specific statutory authority, if any, do you believe empowers the FCC to revoke a broadcaster’s license or impose fines on the basis of satirical or critical content?” they further asked. The letter also references Trump’s lawsuits against other media organizations as well as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — and subsequently NPR and PBS — being defunded.
The senators’ joint letter comes the morning after “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” returned to ABC after Carr threatened the network last week over the host’s coverage of the Charlie Kirk assassination. Still, local affiliate owners Nexstar and Sinclair have both decided to continue preempting his new episodes across their stations after the FCC got involved the week prior.
Schiff’s move also echoed a similar sentiment from Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, Edward J. Markey and Chris Van Hollen to Nexstar Media Group chairman Perry A. Sook and Sinclair Broadcast Group president and CEO Christopher S. Ripley on Tuesday.
“If you suspended a late-night comedian’s show in part to seek regulatory favors from the administration, you have not only assisted the administration in eroding First Amendment freedoms but also create the appearance of a possible quid-pro-quo arrangement that could implicate federal anti-corruption laws,” their letter read.
Relatedly, ahead of Kimmel’s return to ABC on Tuesday night, Trump once again threatened the network on Truth Social: “He is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution. I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative. A true bunch of losers! Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad Ratings.”
