After ABC suspended comedian Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show following a threat from the head of the Federal Communications Commission, congressional Democrats have denounced the Trump administration's threats against political critics and unveiled a bill they insist would bolster free speech protections against government officials.
While the bill is unlikely to gain traction in a Republican-controlled Congress, Democrats harshly criticized the Trump administration for allegedly pressuring ABC toward the suspension of Kimmel's show following his comments on how Republicans were responding to the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.
Trump, a frequest target of Kimmel monologues, has blamed bad ratings for Kimmel's suspension, among other things, while also calling out media bias.
Kimmel said earlier this week that "many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on" the assassination and that President Donald Trump's political supporters were trying to characterize the man charged in the attack "as anything other than one of them."
FCC Chair Brendan Carr subsequently called Kimmel's comments "truly sick" and said his agency has a strong case for holding Kimmel network parent Walt Disney Co. accountable for spreading misinformation. Disney is seeking approval from the FCC for ESPN's acquisition of the NFL Network.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Carr should be fired.