Outgoing Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel called President-elect Trump's threat to punish broadcast networks unfair to her.
“The FCC is not going to threaten to revoke broadcast licenses just because the president doesn't like the content or reporting on a network,” Rosenworcel said in the latest report. POLITICO Tech Podcast. “And the same First Amendment obligations apply to what is published online.”
Trump began slamming broadcast news networks after he held a presidential debate with Vice President Harris on ABC. During the debate, anchors David Muir and Lindsey Davis fact-checked his false or misleading statements in real time.
Harris also appeared on CBS's “60 Minutes” during her campaign. The show offered Trump the same interview, but he declined. He also went after the station after it aired the Harris interview, saying it was “chopping up” the interview to paint Harris in a positive light and should have its license revoked. .
Rosenworcel said the FCC is not in a position to carry out President Trump's threats against the media.
“We make communications decisions based on the record, based on the facts, and based on the law,” she said. “It's not based on the whims coming out of the White House or the president's complaints.”
Rosenworcel spoke out against Trump's comments when the CBS interview aired.
“As I have said before, the First Amendment is the foundation of our democracy,” Rosenworcel said in a statement to The Hill in October. “The FCC does not and will not revoke a station's license simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes the content or coverage.”
