September 20, 2025 - Washington, D.C. — On Thursday, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Rep. Maxwell Frost, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs, wrote to ABC, Sinclair, and the Trump Administration demanding answers amid ongoing efforts to censor dissenting voices and opposition to the President of the United States. This follows ABC’s announcement that it will be pulling Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show off the air indefinitely, after facing public pressure from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr in response to Kimmel’s remarks about the alleged killer of Charlie Kirk.

“We can all agree that what happened to Charlie Kirk was horrific and that we must condemn all political violence. But recent threats from this Administration are an attack on the media and the First Amendment. This Administration has shown that it will target critics and threaten their platforms simply because they disagree with them. Let me be clear: Americans will not be silenced. The right to free speech is sacred in this country, and we must defend it at all costs,” said Ranking Member Robert Garcia

“The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel is illegal government censorship and the work of a corrupt coalition championed by President Trump, that silences opposition in exchange for corporate profits. FCC Chair Brendan Carr, at the direction of Donald Trump, is manipulating companies in order to attack our First Amendment rights and must be held accountable. Nexstar has the ability to resist this pressure, but they decided to protect their potential merger and profits rather than protecting their right to deliver content free from government influence,” said Ranking Member Maxwell Frost

“The Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) apparent weaponization of its federal regulatory authority and ABC’s preemption of programming that may be critical of President Trump represents a dangerous escalation in attacks on press freedom and protected speech.  This action should serve as a warning to all Americans—the Constitution’s right to free speech is under attack by the Trump Administration. This corrupt political intimidation is unacceptable,” wrote the lawmakers in a letter to the FCC. 

These letters mark the beginning of an investigation. In an Oversight Committee hearing today, Chairman James Comer agreed to work in a bipartisan manner to bring FCC Chair Brandon Carr before the Oversight Committee to answer questions about ongoing First Amendment concerns.

Source: House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform-Democrats