FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is set to testify before the Senate Commerce Committee following Chairman Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) decision to side with television host Jimmy Kimmel over Carr and the Trump administration.
According to Semafor, Carr has consented to appear before the Commerce Committee as Cruz has taken issue with Carr’s stance against Disney and ABC concerning Kimmel’s remarks about Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin being labeled “MAGA.”
Carr and the other two FCC commissioners will appear before the committee in November, although the date has yet to be formalized.
WATCH — Cringe:
The Texas senator accused Carr of “dangerous as hell” mafia-like tactics after he appeared to push for the removal of Kimmel’s show.
“And I’ve got to say, that’s reminiscent of Goodfellas. It’s like a mafioso entering a bar saying, ‘Nice bar you have here, it’d be a shame if something happened to it,’” Cruz shared on his podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz.
As Cruz and Democrats have attacked the FCC Chairman, President Donald Trump backed Carr.
“I think Brendan Carr is a great American patriot. So I disagree with Ted Cruz on that,” the president said in September.
WATCH — So Much for Jimmy Kimmel’s Big Numbers:
Backing Cruz’s critique of Carr, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) remarked, “Well, my colleague, Ted Cruz, mentioned it looked quite similar to Goodfellas. As an advocate for the First Amendment myself, I think he’s onto something. You don’t have to appreciate what someone says on TV to agree that the government shouldn’t be meddling here.”
In September, Carr accused Democrats of engaging in “projection and distortion,” citing that the Biden administration, Congress, and other leftist entities have been urging the agency to censor certain television networks and “everyday Americans.”
The FCC chairman said, “I think those claims have as much factual basis as we’re seeing right now with Jimmy Kimmel.”
