Brendan Carr
FCC Chairman
5 findings
What the labels mean
- ConvictedA criminal jury found them guilty.
- Found liableA civil jury ruled against them.
- Court ruledA judge ruled against them or their policy.
- Watchdog foundAn inspector general, Congress's auditors at the GAO or UN investigators.
- AdmittedThey acknowledged it, or their own government's records and court filings show it.
- On recordSomething they said or did in public.
- ReportedNews reporting they deny or haven't confirmed.
- AllegedAccusations in lawsuits, complaints or from sources. Unproven.
Admitted or on record 4
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On record
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Hours later, Jimmy Kimmel was off the air.
He said it about ABC over Kimmel’s remarks after Charlie Kirk’s killing. Nexstar pulled the show and ABC suspended it. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said “what he said there is dangerous as hell.” Carr has denied it was a threat.
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On record
The FCC ordered ABC’s stations to renew their licenses years early.
The licenses weren’t due until 2028 at the earliest, according to a source who told NBC the move was fast-tracked after Kimmel joked about Melania Trump. The FCC says it’s about Disney’s diversity programs, “not any speech.” FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez called it “unprecedented, unlawful, and going nowhere.”
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On record
He told senators the FCC isn’t an independent agency. Within minutes, “independent” disappeared from the FCC’s website.
“Formally speaking, the FCC is not independent,” he said, arguing the president can remove commissioners. Commissioner Anna Gomez said Congress made the agency independent on purpose.
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On record
During the Iran war, he warned broadcasters to “correct course before their license renewals come up.”
He accused them of “running hoaxes and news distortions” and said they “will lose their licenses” if they don’t serve the public interest. Sen. Elizabeth Warren called it “straight out of the authoritarian playbook.”
Reported and alleged 1
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Alleged
Disney sued the FCC, calling the early license review “blatant retaliation” for its speech.
The suit followed Jimmy Kimmel jokes that angered Trump, and it quotes Carr’s “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” The FCC accused Disney of “an ongoing campaign of disinformation.”