DANA BASH: What particularly did you could have an issue with in what he mentioned?
REP. RANDY FINE: I believe the primary a part of it was the troubling half, to say, that is MAGA, descending to new lows, he was a MAGA individual.
By the best way, you didn’t hear anyone laughing by all of that when he made these feedback. And they’re very, very offensive.
DANA BASH: Yeah, I imply he did, he mentioned “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who was, who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”.
That is particularly what he mentioned. And you mentioned the FCC, having an FCC license is a privilege is the phrase you used. You assume that type of assertion is one thing that ought to strip him of the power to in a spot that’s ruled by the FCC.
REP. RANDY FINE: Well, ABC made the choice to strip him. But what I might say is that this. A broadcast license is a license.
Look, I’ve gone after folks in Florida who’re making horrific statements, and they’re able of privilege. If they’re a authorities worker, or they’re funded by the federal government, or they’ve a authorities license, these are usually not rights.
You can say no matter you need, however for those who’re in a positions of presidency privilege, it is best to give it some thought. Obviously, ABC determined that he crossed the road.
DANA BASH: They determined after a vital individual, the chair of the FCC, Brendan Carr, mentioned “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action.”
And a very vital dynamic right here is cash and the enterprise merger that one of many greatest ABC affiliate teams, Nextar, needs. This is… Actually, the nation’s largest TV broadcasting group has greater than 200 stations. They introduced a deal to amass one other Tegna $6.2 billion deal that’s together with debt.
And that might require the FCC chair Brendan Carr to log off on it. It’s not only a enterprise choice the place they’re essentially getting complaints from some viewers.
It is a enterprise selections and what they want from the federal government, which is being very clear, the Trump administration, that they don’t need Jimmy Kimmel on the air.
REP. RANDY FINE: I believe it’s greater than that. I believe that we reside in a world the place a significant share of individuals now consider violence is legitimized, and so they get it. They get it.
DANA BASH: He didn’t legitimize violence.
REP. RANDY FINE: They– he didn’t, however these feedback blaming MAGA for the dying of Charlie Kirk?
DANA BASH: That’s not what he did! Listen, I’m not right here to defend–.
REP. RANDY FINE: That’s how I interpreted it.
DANA BASH: But it’s not what he mentioned.
REP. RANDY FINE: Well, that’s…
DANA BASH: And that’s being interpreted incorrectly.