Rand Paul: FCC chair had “no business” intervening in ABC/Kimmel controversy

Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has criticized Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr for his involvement in the recent controversy surrounding ABC and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. During an appearance on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' Paul labeled Carr's pressure on ABC to suspend Kimmel as "completely inappropriate." Paul asserted that Carr has no authority to intervene in such matters, emphasizing that while employees can indeed be dismissed for offensive remarks, it should not involve government interference. He stated, "The FCC should have nothing to do with it. This is television, and if you're losing money, you can be let go. The government should not be involved in these decisions." The senator’s comments came in the wake of questions regarding President Trump’s views on free speech. When pressed about Trump's remarks—one advocating for an executive order to combat government censorship and another criticizing media coverage—Paul refrained from directly criticizing the former president. Instead, he expressed support for Trump’s stance against what he described as the Biden administration's attempts at censorship, which he claims pressured social media platforms to remove certain content. Paul concluded by reaffirming his position against the FCC's threats to revoke broadcast licenses, a tactic frequently invoked by Trump during disputes over media coverage. He stated, "I will fight that, but I can assure you that the censorship apparatus that Biden established is no longer in place."