House and Senate Democrats Demand Answers from Carr Over Media Investigations

WASHINGTON, April 1, 2025 – Three House Democrats are demanding answers from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr alleging he has misused the FCC’s enforcement powers to target media outlets critical of President Donald Trump.

In a letter sent Monday, House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., and Reps. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., and Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., alleged that Carr’s recent spate of investigations into major broadcasters and public media organizations were politically motivated and possibly coordinated with Trump’s personal legal efforts.

The eight-page letter is issued on House Energy and Commerce Committee stationary, which has Kentucky Republican Chairman Brett Guthrie’s name in the upper-left corner, and Pallone’s in the upper-right corner. The letter is only signed by the three Democrats.

“You have launched sham investigations into entities disfavored by President Trump, Elon Musk, and the Republican Party to censor journalists and news coverage,” the lawmakers wrote. “In the absence of actual authority and any real evidence of wrongdoing, 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.”

The Democrats’ letter cites a growing list of FCC enforcement actions under Carr’s leadership. These include reopening long-dismissed complaints against CBS, ABC, and NBC; launching new investigations into NPR, PBS, and YouTubeTV; and threatening to reinterpret Section 230 to compel social media platforms to carry content they might otherwise moderate.

The letter joins a March 13 letter from Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., initiated an inquiry into the FCC's investigations of media companies, expressing concern that these actions were designed to intimidate news organizations critical of Trump. Blumenthal is ranking member of the chamber’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and the senator said he is “seeking information regarding the FCC’s apparent retaliatory actions.”

Carr addressed topic of politics in interview

When asked about whether his investigations into broadcast licenses were politically motivated, Carr said, “what I can tell you is that we'll give everybody a fair shake, and I think that's a departure from where a lot of President Biden's policies went.” 

In an interview with Broadband Breakfast, Carr continued, “we were coming out of an era in which there was massive weaponization under the Biden administration. People that were politically allied got special treatment and shortcuts, and people that were perceived by the administration to not be aligned with them were given disfavored treatment.”

Revisiting CBS interview complaint

One particularly controversial move involves Carr’s decision to revisit a complaint against CBS for allegedly distorting a segment featuring former Vice President Kamala Harris — even after the FCC had already received and published unedited footage. Trump is suing CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, over the same matter, seeking billions in personal damages. 

The House Democrats’ letter suggests Carr’s investigation could be part of an effort to apply regulatory pressure on the network to settle.

The House lawmakers also raised ethical concerns about Carr’s frequent travel with Trump to Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida property, questioning whether the FCC chairman was receiving improper direction from the president.

The letter echoes concerns raised earlier this year by three former FCC chairmen — Tom Wheeler (D), Reed Hundt (D), and Alfred Sikes (R) — who said Carr’s investigations undermine the FCC’s First Amendment obligation.

Subpoena authority generally resides with committee chairs

Though Democrats hold minority status in the House and cannot compel compliance through subpoenas or formal committee action, their letter outlines a detailed request for documents and communications, due by April 14, 2025. 

As noted by the Congressional Research Service, subpoena authority generally resides with committee chairs, who are members of the majority party. Therefore, the minority-led oversight effort carries political weight but no legal enforcement mechanism unless backed by the Republican majority.

The lawmakers were requesting:

• All documents related to FCC investigations into CBS, ABC, NBC, NPR, PBS, KCBS-AM, YouTubeTV, and social media platforms; 
• All communications between Carr and Trump administration officials or third parties concerning those investigations; 
• Justification for why similar complaints against FOX News were not reinstated; 
• An explanation of Carr’s interpretation of FCC authority — particularly over online platforms and under Section 230;
• A breakdown of staff time and agency resources devoted to the investigations; and, 
• Records related to Carr’s travel with President Trump, including any ethics guidance received.

Other Senate Democratic letters 

Other Senate Democrats besides Blumenthal have also expressed concerns regarding Carr's recent investigations into media organizations.

In February 2025, Sens. Edward Markey, D-Mass., Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., sent a letter to Carr and Commissioner Nathan Simington, criticizing the FCC's actions as politically motivated attempts to intimidate the press. They urged the FCC to cease what they termed the "weaponization" of the agency against broadcasters.