Ranking Member Robert Garcia and Congressman Maxwell Frost Escalate Investigation After Nexstar Refusal to Air Jimmy Kimmel Show, Continues to Cave to Political Pressure from Trump Admin
Washington, D.C. — Today, 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, demanded answers from Chairman and CEO of Nexstar Perry Sook after the company’s refusal to air Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Nexstar-owned ABC affiliate stations, despite ABC’s decision to bring the show back on air. This letter is a continuation of the lawmakers’ investigation into apparent efforts to censor dissenting voices and opposition to the President of the United States.
“ABC’s decision to bring Jimmy Kimmel back on air was a huge win for the First Amendment, but it’s clear the Trump Administration is still making threats against the media and attempting to silence voices that disagree with the President. Nexstar and Sinclair are cooperating with that agenda. We must find out if the Executive Branch is pressuring Nexstar and its affiliates to suppress dissent and target their critics. In this country, we will always fight for free speech, and we won’t stop until we have answers,” said Ranking Member Robert Garcia
“The Trump Administration is waging some of the most blatant attacks on free speech in our country’s history, and Nexstar’s decision to preempt Jimmy Kimmel’s show is part of that deeply disturbing pattern. By caving to political pressure to secure a merger deal, Nexstar is placing their own bottom line above protecting the first amendment and the integrity of its journalists, artists, comedians, and creators on their network. The public deserves the truth on the Trump Administration’s efforts to silence dissent and the media corporations enabling it,” said Congressman Maxwell Frost
“While Kimmel and Disney came to an agreement to bring Jimmy Kimmel Live! back on air as of Tuesday, September 23, Sinclair and Nexstar Media Group announced that they would continue to preempt the show. The Trump Administration’s actions and the subsequent response by Nexstar and Sinclair raise a concern that the Administration is using the FCC as a tool to silence media and commentators who criticize the President or conservative viewpoints,” wrote the lawmakers in the letter.
This letter is the fourth in a series of inquiries by the lawmakers into the cancelling of Jimmy Kimmel Live!. In an Oversight Committee hearing last week, 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.
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