Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel on Thursday responded to former President Donald Trump's recent calls to revoke the broadcast licenses of major media outlets, calling them "threats against free speech."
Her comments came after Trump called out CBS for editing a "60 Minutes" interview with Vice President Kamala Harris to "make her look better." In a post on his Truth Social platform Thursday, Trump called the incident "A Giant Fake News Scam."
Trump wrote, "60 Minutes is a major part of the News Organization of CBS, which has just created the Greatest Fraud in Broadcast History. CBS should lose its license, and it should be bid out to the Highest Bidder, as should all other Broadcast Licenses, because they are just as corrupt as CBS – and maybe even WORSE!"
In another post, Trump wrote, "With me, 60 Minutes does the exact opposite! They take everything I say, realize how totally BRILLIANT it is, and take it out. So, with Kamala they add, with 'TRUMP,' they delete. Like the Democrat Party, THEY ARE A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY!"
After the presidential debate between Trump in Harris last month hosted by ABC News, Trump called for that network to have its license taken away after moderators repeatedly fact-checked him while not doing the same for Harris.
Rosenworcel at the time issued a statement saying, "The First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy. The FCC does not revoke licenses for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage."
In Thursday's statement she said, "While repeated attacks against broadcast stations by the former President may now be familiar, these threats against free speech are serious and should not be ignored. As I've said before, the First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy."
Kate McManus ✉
Kate McManus is a New Jersey-based Newsmax writer who's spent more than two decades as a journalist.
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