RSF Urges Democrats to Impeach FCC Chair Carr

France-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is urging the new Democrat-controlled U.S. Congress to impeach Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr. The organization’s statement begins: “Carr’s tenure as FCC Chair has been defined by his campaign to intimidate and punish media organizations disfavored by the president. He has launched baseless investigations into news organizations, seized on vaguely written regulations to punish news outlets for speech deemed anti-Trump, threatened the broadcast licenses of TV and radio networks based on their editorial lines, gutted rules against media ownership consolidation, put his thumb on the scales of massive media mergers to benefit Trump allies, and improperly supported midterm campaigns. His consistent abuse of his office demands urgent action from Congress.” The executive director of RSF North America is Clayton Weimers and he is quoted in the organization’s statement saying, “The American people have decisively rejected the Trump administration’s trampling of the Constitution. Few individuals have been more instrumental to the White House’s campaign to weaken the First Amendment than Brendan Carr. The incoming Congress now faces a defining test of its commitment to the Constitution and the freedoms it guarantees. Press freedom cannot be defended through words alone. RSF does not take the question of impeachment lightly. In fact, our organization has never before called for the removal of a US official. But the severity and persistence of Carr’s misconduct demand an extraordinary response. Congress has a constitutional responsibility to hold him accountable. Restoring the FCC’s independence must be central to that effort.”