Senators Chuck Schumer and Ed Markey, in a letter to FCC Chair Brendan Carr Wednesday, demanded an end to investigations targeting CBS News and other media outlets, accusing the FCC of partisan attacks.
The probe centers on claims by President Donald Trump that CBS deceptively edited a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris during the 2024 election to favor Democrats. Trump also filed a $20 billion lawsuit against CBS, which was settled this month with Paramount, CBS’s parent company, paying $16 million toward Trump’s future presidential library.
Fox News denied selective editing, stating the full interview aired across its platforms with standard cuts for time. The senators argued that editorial discretion is central to press freedom and that the FCC should not investigate CBS or Fox.
Carr recently revived complaints about the CBS interview, ABC News’ moderation of a Biden-Trump debate, and NBC’s decision to feature Harris on “Saturday Night Live” before the election. However, he did not reinstate a petition to deny a Philadelphia Fox station’s license renewal. CBS, facing FCC scrutiny amid its $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media, called the complaint an attempt to turn the FCC into a content censor and urged its dismissal.
Neither CBS, Fox, nor Carr commented immediately on the letter.