ICYMI: Warren Slams Attack by Trump, Carr on Kimmel, Free Speech, Free Press At Spotlight Forum

ICYMI: Warren Slams Attack by Trump, Carr on Kimmel, Free Speech, Free Press At Spotlight Forum

Warren: "If [media giants] are bending the knee so they can get handouts from the government, they need to have a serious conversation with their lawyers."

Opening Remarks (YouTube) | Video of Exchange (YouTube)

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) delivered opening remarks and questioned witnesses at a spotlight forum slamming President Trump and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr's abuse of government authority to restrict First Amendment-protected speech and independent, fact-based news reporting. She also warned giant media corporations against bending to Trump's demands in exchange for government handouts or approval of business deals.

This spotlight forum follows months of the Trump Administration's abuse-including threats of FCC regulatory action to restrict free speech. The Administration has attempted to censor Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and others, and the FCC has engaged in sham investigations of media perceived to be opposed to President Trump. Last week, Senator Warren pressed Chairman Carr directly on his undermining of free speech in the media.

In the forum, Senator Warren also criticized big media companies that appear to be bowing to President Trump and his administration by taking programs off the air, making large donations to Trump's Presidential Library, and making other concessions potentially in exchange for regulatory favors, which give the appearance of quid-pro-quo arrangements. She questioned whether these actions constitute bribery under the law. Bribery is defined as someone intending to corruptly influence "any official act" by giving a public official "anything of value."

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, who serves alongside FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, confirmed that the FCC approving a mega-merger qualifies as an "official act." Conor Gaffney, Counsel at Protect Democracy, testified as to the political value for President Trump of taking critics off the air, stating that media companies' censoring of potential Trump critics "both removes an important accountability mechanism that may be critical of this administration, and it also closes down civic space that allows political opposition to develop, to organize, and to form… That's why aspiring authoritarians around the world all go after independent media."

Senator Warren highlighted the public's role in pressuring companies to reverse harmful actions, noting Disney, Nexstar, and Sinclair's decision to bring back Kimmel's show as an example, and emphasizing the need to hold both the Trump administration and media companies accountable for their actions.

"We need to call out the Trump administration, but we need to call out the media companies that bend a knee and preemptively censor the very people that they provide the platforms for," concluded Senator Warren.

Senator Warren continues to fight against corporate media consolidation and the Trump administration's disturbing efforts to silence free speech:

• On September 23, 2025 Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), pressed broadcasters Nexstar and Sinclair for answers as to why Jimmy Kimmel was pulled off the air

• On September 23, 2025, Senator Warren released a statement after Nexstar Media Group's and Sinclair's decisions to continue to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC affiliate stations.

• On August 1, 2025, Senator Warren released a statement following Paramount's and Skydance's responses to her recent letters.

• On July 24, 2025, Senator Warren responded to the Trump administration's approval of the Paramount-Skydance megamerger, saying "bribery is illegal no matter who is president."

• On July 23, 2025, Senator Warren published an op-ed in Variety: "Elizabeth Warren on Colbert's 'Late Show' Cancellation: Is the Paramount Trump Payoff a Bribe?"

• On July 21, 2025, Senators Warren, Sanders (I-Vt.), and Wyden (D-Ore.) pressed David Ellison, CEO of Skydance, about reports of a secret deal between Skydance and President Trump - and how it may be related to Paramount's recent multi-million-dollar settlement agreement with Trump.

• On July 17, 2025, Senators Warren and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), along with Representatives Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and lawmakers in Congress, unveiled the Presidential Library Anti-Corruption Act to close loopholes that allow presidential libraries to be used as tools for corruption and bribery.

• On July 2, 2025, Senator Warren called for an investigation into Paramount's settlement with Trump.

• On February 19, 2025, Senator Warren wrote to Omeed Assefi, acting DOJ assistant attorney general, asking the agency to look into, and potentially block, a Jan. 6 deal that would have Disney merge its Hulu+ Live TV business with Fubo.

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