House Commerce Committee Democrats Launch Investigation into FCC Chairman Carr’s Repeated Attacks on the First Amendment

House Commerce Committee Democrats launched an investigation into Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s attacks on the First Amendment and his weaponization of the independent agency. Committee Democrats blasted Carr for illegally targeting broadcast networks and media companies perceived to be unfavorably covering the Trump Administration—wasting critical agency resources on bogus investigations in the process. The lawmakers further questioned Carr’s commitment to his agency’s independence, given his frequent trips with the President to Mar-a-Lago and his targeting of entities that the President has criticized or sued in his personal capacity. The Committee leaders demanded information about the FCC’s actions by April 14, including:

• All documents related to its investigations of media entities, including letters of inquiry, subpoenas, and similar official requests for information;
• All communications between Carr and current White House officials and between Carr and other Trump Administration officials that relate to investigations of these or other media entities;
• All communications between Carr and third parties related to investigations of these or other media entities;
• An accounting of the staff time Carr has directed toward the investigations identified in the letter and an estimate of the cost associated with that time; and
• All records related to travel with the President on government aircraft and travel to the President’s personal residence in Florida for meetings with the President or other White House officials.