Blumenthal & Warren Call on Chairman Carr to Answer for FCC's Abuse of Power to Silent Dissent: 'An Outrageous Affront to Freedom of Speech'

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) are calling on Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr to answer for the FCC's unlawful attempts to wield government authority to chill First Amendment-protected speech and independent, fact-based news reporting. In a letter sent to Carr today, Blumenthal and Warren invited Carr to participate in a public forum to answer questions from Members of Congress about the FCC's recent actions.

Today's letter comes after the FCC failed to adequately respond to Blumenthal's previous requests for records and information regarding Carr's abuse of the FCC's regulatory authorities, including the agency's sham investigations of entities perceived to be opposed to President Trump and the agency's approval of a Paramount merger just weeks after the company paid President Trump $16 million in a settlement. In light of the FCC's inadequate responses and its recent pressure campaign to kick comedian Jimmy Kimmel off the air, Blumenthal and Warren will host a public forum to bring much-needed transparency to the American people about the FCC's efforts to undermine freedom of speech.

"Your and President Trump's abuse of your 'powerful positions' to silence Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and others threaten a bedrock fundamental of our democracy: 'Free speech gives the powerless a voice. It ensures that anyone can challenge the political, religious, or scientific orthodoxy of the moment,'" Blumenthal and Warren wrote.

"Congress and the American people deserve transparency into what appear to be unprecedented violations of law and the public trust by the FCC. Accordingly, I invite you to participate in a public forum that offers you the opportunity to explain the FCC's actions and answer questions from Members of Congress. I look forward to working with you to find a convenient date and time that works with your schedule," Blumenthal and Warren concluded.

The full text of Blumenthal and Warren's letter is available here and below. Blumenthal's March 12 letter to Carr is available here. Blumenthal's July 29 letter to Carr is available here.

Dear Chairman Carr:

We are increasingly concerned that your unprecedented weaponization of the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") amounts to an unlawful attempt to corruptly wield government authority to chill First Amendment-protected speech and independent, fact-based news reporting. As the FCC has failed to provide substantive replies to congressional letters regarding these concerns, we write to invite you to appear before Members of Congress and the American people to explain what appear to be egregious abuses of the FCC's authorities.

On September 15, 2025, Jimmy Kimmel, host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, made a series of comments about the reaction to the assassination of Charlie Kirk.^[1] Within hours of your direct threat that media companies "can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the F.C.C. ahead,"^[2] ABC took Kimmel's show off the air immediately and indefinitely.^[3] Your and President Trump's abuse of your self-described "powerful positions" to censor Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and others threaten a bedrock fundamental of our democracy, as you identified in 2022: "Free speech gives the powerless a voice. It ensures that anyone can challenge the political, religious, or scientific orthodoxy of the moment."^[4]

Our concerns go far beyond the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's show. We have sought information regarding our concerns multiple times and have not received complete responses. Senator Blumenthal wrote to the FCC twice since March with specific concerns about how you and the agency appear to be engaged in a campaign of deliberate abuse of the FCC's regulatory authorities at the behest of President Trump. On March 12, 2025, Senator Blumenthal wrote to the Acting Chiefs of the FCC's enforcement and media bureaus questioning the agency's investigations of entities perceived to be opposed to President Trump and demanding information and records to clarify the agency's actions.^[5] Your March 26, 2025, response addresses none of the specific questions posed in Senator Blumenthal's letter.^[6] On July 29, 2025, following the highly suspect timing of the FCC's approval of Paramount Global's merger with Skydance Media, LLC-just three weeks after Paramount settled a frivolous lawsuit brought by President Trump by handing $16 million to his Presidential Library-Senator Blumenthal wrote to you demanding detailed answers and records that would begin to provide transparency into the Trump Administration's apparent corrupt bargain with Paramount.^[7] Again you responded by failing to meaningfully address the specific questions in Senator Blumenthal's letter and produced no responsive records.^[8]

Senator Warren wrote to Paramount Chair Shari Redstone in May 2025 with questions regarding whether Paramount may have been engaging in potentially illegal conduct involving your agency in exchange for approval of its megamerger. [9] The questions raised in her letter include why Paramount abruptly shifted from characterizing the lawsuit brought by President Trump as "meritless"^[10] to engaging in settlement negotiations and potentially meddling with the content of its subsidiary CBS to appease the Trump administration. In July, Senator Warren called for a full investigation into whether any anti-bribery laws were broken in response to news that Paramount settled President Trump's lawsuit for $16 million, concerned this could be bribery in plain sight.^[11] Days later, Senator Warren wrote to Skydance to seek information on the reported secret deal between Skydance and President Trump-potentially involving public service announcements worth between $15 million and $20 million that "support conservative causes supported by President Trump"^[12]-and whether the deal was connected to the companies' efforts to secure FCC approval of their megamerger.^[13] Paramount and Skydance's dodgy responses to Senator Warren's letters raised even more questions about whether the companies engaged in corrupt side deals or handed out favors to get their merger approved by the FCC.^[14]

Congress and the American people deserve answers regarding whether the FCC violated the law and the public trust. Accordingly, we invite you to participate in a public forum that will offer you the opportunity to explain the FCC's actions and answer questions from Members of Congress. I look forward to working with you to find a date and time that works with your schedule. Please confirm your participation by September 23, 2025.

Sincerely,

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