- House Republicans voted 24–21 to block a subpoena for FCC Chair Brendan Carr.
- Carr suggested ABC could lose licenses if it failed to discipline Jimmy Kimmel.
- ABC suspended Kimmel after remarks on Charlie Kirk’s death sparked outrage.
- Democrats call Carr’s actions an unprecedented attack on free speech.
- Debate intensifies over cancel culture, political pressure, and media regulation.
House Republicans on Thursday blocked a Democratic attempt to compel Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr to testify before Congress over his alleged role in ABC’s suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.
The Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted 24–21 along party lines to strike down Rep. Ro Khanna’s (D-Calif.) motion to subpoena Carr. Democrats had pushed for his testimony after Carr publicly suggested that ABC’s broadcast licenses could be at risk if the network failed to discipline Kimmel.
Khanna denounced Carr’s comments as “the largest assault on the First Amendment and free speech in modern history,” accusing the FCC chair of pressuring Disney-owned ABC to silence a comedian. “They’re making comedy illegal. Brendan Carr pressured ABC to cancel Jimmy Kimmel and Disney cancels Jimmy Kimmel,” Khanna said.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the committee’s ranking Democrat, vowed to work with Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) to bring Carr before lawmakers despite the failed subpoena effort.
ABC announced Wednesday that Kimmel had been suspended indefinitely following remarks he made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was recently killed. On his show, Kimmel mocked the reaction from President Trump and the MAGA movement, saying the president grieved Kirk’s death like a “4-year-old mourning a gold fish.”
Kimmel also suggested that the suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was aligned with MAGA supporters. He later argued that conservatives were “desperately trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
Subsequent reports revealed Robinson’s parents were conservatives, but his own political views had shifted left. He was also in a relationship with a transgender roommate, and investigators noted tensions over Kirk’s outspoken positions on gender identity.
Carr’s warnings on a podcast that ABC risked its affiliate licenses if it did not take action against Kimmel added fuel to the fire. Democrats say his remarks represent a dangerous precedent of federal officials leveraging regulatory authority to stifle speech.
Khanna accused Republicans of hypocrisy, pointing out that Trump allies frequently rail against “cancel culture” while celebrating Kimmel’s suspension.
Despite Thursday’s party-line vote, Democrats insist Carr will eventually face questioning. The controversy places both free speech rights and federal oversight powers at the center of a widening political storm.
Read more Related stories by Visiting our Townflex World News Segment
