GOP Sen. Ted Cruz on Friday denounced Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s threats to pull ABC’s broadcast license as “unbelievably dangerous” and in contrast a few of his rhetoric to “mafioso” tactics.
In an episode of his podcast, “Verdict with Ted Cruz,” launched on Friday, the Texas Republican stated he was “thrilled” Jimmy Kimmel was pulled off the air by ABC over his feedback about conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. But he stated he strongly disagreed with the federal government policing speech, asserting it may come again to chew conservatives when Democrats retake energy.
“I hate what Jimmy Kimmel said. I am thrilled that he was fired,” Cruz stated. “But let me tell you: if the government gets in the business of saying, ‘We don’t like what you, the media, have said. We’re going to ban you from the airwaves if you don’t say what we like,’ that will end up bad for conservatives.”
Though Carr’s feedback have drawn widespread condemnation on the left, Cruz’s remarks symbolize one of many strongest denunciations of the threats against broadcasters by an elected conservative. Cruz additionally chairs the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which has broad authority over the FCC.
“Going down this road, there will come a time when a Democrat wins again – wins the White House … they will silence us. They will use this power, and they will use it ruthlessly. And that is dangerous,” Cruz stated.
US President Donald Trump has additionally vaguely threatened networks’ licenses could possibly be pulled in the event that they air overwhelmingly destructive protection of him, although Cruz didn’t rebut the president’s remarks instantly.
“I read someplace that the networks were 97% against me. I get 97% negative, and yet I won it easily,” Trump stated, referring to the 2024 election. “I won all seven swing states, popular vote, I won everything. And they’re 97% against, they give me wholly bad publicity… I mean, they’re getting a license, I would think maybe their license should be taken away.”
Cruz performed current remarks Carr made on Benny Johnson’s podcast, the place the FCC chairman threatened to take motion against broadcasters who don’t “find ways to change conduct” the federal government considers unpleasant.
“I mean, look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr stated. “These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or you know, there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” ABC pulled Kimmel’s exhibit the air indefinitely the day after Carr made these feedback.
Responding to Carr’s feedback, Cruz stated: “No, no, no, no, no.”
“Look, look, I like Brendan Carr,” the senator stated. “He’s a good guy. He’s the chairman of the FCC. I work closely with him. But what he said there is dangerous as hell.”
“He says, ‘We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way.’ And I got to say, that’s right out of Goodfellas. That’s right out of a mafioso coming into a bar going, ‘nice bar you have here. It’d be a shame if something happened to it.’”
Cruz later added: “I think it is unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying, ‘We’re going to decide what speech we like and what we don’t, and we’re going to threaten to take you off air if we don’t like what you’re saying.’”
“And it might feel good right now to threaten Jimmy Kimmel,” the senator stated. “But when it is used to silence every conservative in America, we will regret it.”