FCC apologizes to Sen. Grassley for 'McCarthyism' remark

Zachary Katz, the new chief of staff for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), apologized to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Jan 31 after an agency official compared the senator to anti-communist former-Sen Joseph McCarthy. “The spirit of Joseph McCarthy has returned to Washington in the form of Senator Grassley,” an unnamed FCC official told TR Daily. “This is a witch hunt with no basis, driven by well-funded lobbyists in the Senator’s state, and everyone knows it.” In a phone call, Katz apologized to Sen Grassley and said the comment was unauthorized.