Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on Thursday slammed Donald Trump’s recent calls for TV networks to lose their broadcasting licenses after they upset him. Following his debate against Vice President Kamala Harris last month, Trump called for ABC—the network that hosted the event—to lose its license, claiming he’d faced a “rigged” deal from fact-checking moderators. Now he’s calling for CBS’ license to also be revoked for airing an edited answer Harris gave during her 60 Minutes interview—an event which he described as “the single Biggest Scandal in Broadcast History!” In a statement Thursday, Rosenworcel pushed back on Trump’s repeated calls for networks to be shut down for political reasons. “While repeated attacks against broadcast stations by the former President may now be familiar, these threats against free speech are serious and should not be ignored,” she wrote. “As I’ve said before, the First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy. The FCC does not and will not revoke licenses for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage.”
