Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr, who has faced backlash from both Democrats and Republicans over his remarks concerning Jimmy Kimmel’s show, is set to appear before the Senate Commerce Committee, according to a committee spokesperson who informed NBC News.
Senator Ted Cruz from Texas, who heads the committee responsible for oversight of the FCC, is among the first Republican lawmakers to criticize Carr’s actions. However, a date for this hearing has not yet been confirmed.
Semafor first reported on Carr’s agreeing to testify.
An FCC spokesperson was unresponsive to requests for comments regarding the scheduled hearing as of Wednesday evening.
Cruz criticized Carr following his mention of possible regulatory measures against ABC and Disney, after which Kimmel’s late-night show was suspended for a week due to on-air remarks about the assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk.
“It’s incredibly risky for the government to decide which speech is acceptable and to threaten removal from the airwaves if they disagree,” Cruz stated on his podcast, “Verdict with Ted Cruz,” in response to Kimmel’s temporary suspension. The show was brought back almost a week later.
“Honestly, that’s a scene straight out of ‘Goodfellas.’ It mirrors a mobster entering a bar and saying, ‘Nice place you’ve got here, it’d be unfortunate if anything happened to it,'” Cruz remarked.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly praised Carr for his actions leading up to Kimmel’s suspension, telling reporters last month that Carr should revoke broadcasters’ licenses for unfavorable coverage.
In a letter last month, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., urged Cruz to hold an oversight hearing and “demand Chairman Carr answer for this unprecedented attack on the First Amendment.” Asked by NBC News at the time whether a hearing with Carr was forthcoming, Cruz said, “We will certainly engage in oversight of all the agencies within the committee’s jurisdiction.”
