Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, chastised Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr after the FCC commissioner publicly pressed ABC to act against late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, warning that conservatives could ultimately be harmed if government officials wield regulatory power to punish speech.
On his "Verdict With Ted Cruz" podcast Thursday, Cruz said Carr's warnings to ABC amounted to a chilling threat.
"If the government gets in the business of saying, 'We don't like what you, the media, have said; we're going to ban you from the airwaves if you don't say what we like' — that will end up bad for conservatives," Cruz said.
The controversy erupted after Kimmel's Monday night monologue, in which he accused Republicans of trying to mischaracterize the background of the suspect in the assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk for political gain. He also compared President Donald Trump's reaction to the killing to that of a "4-year-old mourning a goldfish."
Two days later, Carr appeared on "The Benny Show" podcast and cautioned broadcasters about their FCC obligations.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," he said. "These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead." Later that day, ABC announced it was suspending "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" indefinitely.
Cruz, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee with FCC oversight, said he agreed Kimmel was "lying" but blasted Carr's approach.
"What [Carr] is saying is Jimmy Kimmel was lying. That's true. He was lying," Cruz said. "And his lying to the American people is not in the public interest. And so, he threatens explicitly, we're going to cancel ABC's license. We're going to take him off the air so ABC cannot broadcast anymore. And I gotta say he threatens it. He says, 'We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way.'"
Cruz added, "And I gotta say, that's right out of 'Goodfellas.' That's right out of a mafioso coming into a bar going, 'Nice bar you have here. It'd be a shame if something happened to it.'"
Although Cruz said he was "thrilled" to see Kimmel suspended, he warned that Carr's precedent could be weaponized against conservatives under a Democrat administration.
"There will come a time when a Democrat wins again, wins the White House, they will get rid of everything in America that's conservative," Cruz said. "They'll get rid of every podcast. They'll get rid of everything. They will silence us. They will use this power, and they will use it ruthlessly, and that is dangerous."
Newsmax reached out to the FCC for comment.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.