Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel denounced former President Donald Trump’s “threats against free speech” Thursday after he attacked CBS and called for the network to “lose its license” over a recent “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.
In recent days, the former president has lambasted the Harris interview, accusing CBS News of editing the sit-down with correspondent Bill Whitaker. On Thursday, Trump used his Truth Social platform to again take aim at what he alleged to be “a giant Fake News Scam,” accusing “60 Minutes” of replacing Harris’ answers with another to “make her look better.”
“60 Minutes is a major part of the News Organization of CBS, which has just created the Greatest Fraud in Broadcast History,” Trump wrote. “CBS should lose its license, and it should be bid out to the Highest Bidder, as should all other Broadcast Licenses, because they are just as corrupt as CBS — and maybe even WORSE!”
In a statement, Rosenworcel emphasized that the federal agency “does not and will not revoke licenses for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage.”
“While repeated attacks against broadcast stations by the former President may now be familiar, these threats against free speech are serious and should not be ignored,” Rosenworcel said. “As I’ve said before, the First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy.”
Trump’s attacks on CBS comes after he backed out of his own “60 Minutes” interview last week and has repeatedly fended off invitations from television networks, including CNN and Fox News, for additional debates, instead opting for sit-downs with right-wing media outlets.
Following ABC’s Trump-Harris debate in September, Trump dialed into “Fox & Friends,” where he called for the Disney-owned network to have its license “take[n] away.”
Rosenworcel’s statement is the second time this week she has spoken out in support of broadcasters. On Tuesday, the FCC chair issued a statement calling threats from Florida’s Health Department to prosecute local TV stations over an abortion rights ad “dangerous,” and emphasizing that pressure from the state government “undermines the fundamental principle of free speech.”
Trump and his allies have repeatedly threatened the press. Last year, he called for Comcast, the parent company of NBC News and MSNBC, to be investigated “for treason” over its coverage and said if reelected president the news media would “pay a big price.”
A.G. Sulzberger, the New York Times publisher, sounded the alarm last month on Trump employing an anti-press “playbook” used by authoritarians around the world.
Sulzberger said in a Washington Post op-ed that Trump’s statements and actions – declaring media outlets the “enemy of the people” and suggesting the use of government to quash dissent – must be taken seriously.
“I believe the risk is shared by our entire profession, as well as all who depend on it,” he wrote.
