House Democrats open probe into FCC media investigations under Trump

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Three congressional Democrats sought documents on Monday from the head of the Federal Communications Commission as part of a probe into what they called "sham" investigations into media outlets including CBS, NBC and ABC launched by the agency under President Donald Trump to try to intimidate the news media.

The probe was announced by House of Representatives members Frank Pallone, Doris Matsui and Yvette Clarke, who asked FCC chair Brendan Carr to turn over records related to travel with Trump and to the Republican president's Florida residence, and to answer other questions.

Pallone is the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, while Matsui and Clarke are the ranking Democrats on two of its subcommittees. In a letter to Carr, they accused him of launching the investigations into media entities disfavored by Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk, seeking "to target and intimidate news organizations."

"You have weaponized the agency against news outlets," the three Democrats wrote. "Your pursuit of these actions is clearly intended to punish and burden broadcasters and other media companies by inflicting incalculable reputational harm and excessive costs to defend themselves."

A spokesperson for Carr, named chair by Trump, said that during Democratic President Joe Biden's administration, "Democrats repeatedly weaponized our nation's communications laws and processes - including the FCC's own rules." The spokesperson added that Carr was "restoring the FCC's commitment to basic fairness and even-handed treatment for everyone."

Last week, Carr said he was opening an investigation into the diversity practices of Walt Disney and its ABC unit, saying they may violate U.S. equal employment opportunity regulations. Conservatives have argued that workplace diversity practices discriminate against majority groups including white people.

Carr has sent letters to Comcast, which owns NBC, and Verizon announcing similar probes into diversity practices.

Days after Carr took over as chair, the FCC reinstated a complaint over an interview on the CBS program "60 Minutes" with then-Vice President Kamala Harris." The complaint was previously reviewed and dismissed by the FCC.

Trump has sued CBS for $20 billion, claiming that "60 Minutes" deceptively edited the interview in order to interfere in the November presidential election in which he defeated Harris, the Democratic candidate.

The three lawmakers said Carr's actions are "an obvious effort to create additional leverage in Trump's settlement negotiations and encourage payment in a sham lawsuit in exchange for favorable regulatory outcomes."

CBS, which is owned by Paramount Global, last week called on the FCC to dismiss the complaint "without delay," but Carr rejected the idea. Paramount is currently seeking FCC approval for an $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.

Carr in January also reinstated complaints about how ABC News moderated a June 2024 televised debate between Biden and Trump. Biden subsequently dropped out of the race and was replaced by Harris. Carr also reinstated complaints against Comcast's NBC for allowing Harris to appear on the network's "Saturday Night Live" program shortly before the election.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Will Dunham and Leslie Adler)