FCC Fast-Tracks Complaints About Trump Media Critics
▼ Summary
– A conservative legal group, the Center for American Rights, used direct access to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s office to accelerate a complaint against Jimmy Kimmel and ABC in September.
– Internal emails show the group bypassed typical career staff by routing its filing to the chairman’s senior counsel, who also had authority over the media bureau.
– Chairman Carr had publicly suggested regulatory scrutiny for ABC affiliates following a Kimmel monologue, which the group’s complaint then leveraged.
– The group’s filings, which often echo Trump-era criticisms of the press, have supplied legal arguments used in challenges against major broadcast networks.
– The FCC’s prior chairman had dismissed similar complaints as unconstitutional, but Carr reinstated them and the group’s efforts have influenced regulatory proceedings like a major merger review.
Internal communications reveal that a conservative legal organization secured expedited review for a regulatory complaint targeting ABC and its host, Jimmy Kimmel, by sending materials directly to the office of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr. According to emails obtained by WIRED, the Center for American Rights bypassed the agency’s standard intake process for public complaints last September, routing its filing instead to the chairman’s senior counsel. This action provided a direct channel to influence proceedings that typically involve career staff.
The correspondence details how CAR, a group whose arguments frequently align with former President Donald Trump’s criticisms of the media, supplied legal theories used to challenge major broadcast networks. The complaint against Kimmel followed Chairman Carr’s remarks on a conservative podcast, where he suggested ABC affiliates could face regulatory scrutiny over a Kimmel monologue. “These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,” Carr stated. The host was subsequently suspended, an action that drew sharp criticism from First Amendment scholars and press freedom advocates.
Daniel Suhr, CAR’s president and a former policy director for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, maintained a direct line to Carr’s senior legal advisers. For months, the group furnished the chairman’s office with a steady stream of legal arguments aimed at networks that had attracted the Trump administration’s disapproval. This relationship marked a shift from the prior FCC leadership; former Chair Jessica Rosenworcel had dismissed three earlier CAR complaints against ABC, CBS, and NBC stations, deeming them “at odds with the First Amendment.” Chairman Carr reinstated those complaints shortly after assuming his role.
By September 2025, the group’s advocacy had already impacted regulatory proceedings. A CAR complaint against CBS concerning a 60 Minutes interview became a point of leverage during the FCC’s review of the Paramount-Skydance merger. The deal was approved in July after Skydance agreed to install a conservative ombudsman at CBS News, demonstrating the tangible influence of such filings.
When contacted for comment, Suhr stated that CAR complies with all FCC rules regarding public comments and meetings. He explained that the initial September complaint was filed through the agency’s standard consumer portal with relevant staff copied, and a supplemental filing was prepared rapidly after Carr’s podcast remarks due to the group’s existing research. “In this instance, we filed our initial September complaint in the general FCC consumer complaints portal and, as you say, cc’d the relevant staff on it,” Suhr told WIRED.
Suhr further argued that the news distortion standard in broadcasting encompasses misleading viewers, not just factual inaccuracies. He cited a 2018 letter from Senate Democrats urging an FCC investigation into Sinclair Broadcast Group for similar allegations, framing CAR’s efforts as a push for evenhanded enforcement of public interest obligations. In a February interview, Suhr agreed that his desired outcome was conservative dominance in American broadcasting, stating, “Yes, I’d be thrilled with that outcome.”
The obtained emails show Suhr sent his Kimmel complaint directly to two senior aides in Carr’s office on September 4, shortly after its public submission. The message, addressed to Senior Counsel Erin Boone and Policy Adviser Katie McAuliffe, included a 12-page filing and exhibits, along with the public ticket number for easy reference. Boone, who also served as acting chief of the FCC’s Media Bureau, oversaw the division with direct authority over broadcast licensing. Internal instructions directed staff to route CAR’s complaints straight to her desk, ensuring they received prioritized attention.
(Source: Wired)
