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By Peter Aitken
Politics Weekend Editor
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Senator Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, on Sunday joined some of his colleagues across the aisle in criticizing Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr, who threatened to revoke broadcaster licenses over their news coverage regarding the Iran War.
During an appearance on Fox News' The Sunday Briefing, Johnson, who previously served as the chair on the Senate Homeland Security committee, said: "I am a big supporter of the First Amendment. I do not like the heavy-handed government, no matter who is wielding it."
"I would rather the federal government stay out of the private sector as much as possible," the senator added. "The federal government’s role is to protect our freedoms—protect our constitutional rights."
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Why It Matters
Carr and President Donald Trump lashed out at American news media over their coverage of the Iran War. The president accused news organizations of publishing "intentionally misleading" headlines, and Carr warned that broadcasters had to "correct course before their license renewals come up."
The Trump administration has struggled with messaging about the conflict that has continued for two weeks and appears to have no clear end in sight, even as the president insists the U.S. has "beaten and completely decimated Iran, both militarily, economically, and in every other way."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday also criticized coverage of the war, specifically taking aim at CNN for reporting the administration had underestimated the impact of Iran closing the strait. He also cheered the fact that the network might soon belong to Trump ally and current owner of CBS News David Ellison.
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What To Know
Carr, in a lengthy post on X on Saturday, accused broadcasters of "running hoaxes and news distortions" and claimed that media "has earned itself the label of fake news."
The post prompted immediate and severe backlash from politicians and media figures alike, many of whom accused Carr of censorship, authoritarian tactics, and unconstitutional conduct.
Some critics were even more pointed in their responses: Representative Ted Lieu of California, a Democrat, wrote on X that Carr could "take your fascist s*** and shove it," while Keith Olbermann, formerly a weeknight political host on MSNBC who now hosts a daily podcast called Countdown with Keith Olbermann, told Carr in the comments under his post: "Go f*** yourself and the fascists you've prostituted yourself for, baldy."
Carr's post included several claims about the state of traditional American media, including an allegation that "trust in legacy media has now fallen to an all time low of just 9%" and "American people have subsidized broadcasters to the tune of billions of dollars."
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who leads polling alongside former Vice President Kamala Harris as the potential Democratic presidential nominee for 2028, accused Carr of issuing a "flagrantly unconstitutional" threat to American media.
"If Trump doesn't like your coverage of the war, his FCC will pull your broadcast license," Newsom wrote.
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