WASHINGTON – Democrats in the Maryland congressional delegation on Friday warned that ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! following controversial comments on the assassination of Charlie Kirk was a threat to free speech.
“It represents the type of censorship that we see in authoritarian regimes,” Rep. Johnny Olszewski told Capital News Service in an interview.
ABC’s decision sparked controversy among public officials nationwide, with many characterizing the suspension as an attack on freedom of the press.
“Under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, you have the right to engage in speech that is distasteful and offensive and disagreeable to other people,” Rep. Jamie Raskin said on CNN Thursday night. “If you don’t, we don’t have a First Amendment.”
“Because somebody is offended by MSNBC, somebody is offended by Fox News, somebody is offended by CNN. That’s fine. You can turn it off if you don’t like it,” said Raskin, who is a constitutional lawyer. “But you don’t get to go around as the government and police other people’s speech. Understand, if we go down this road – and it seems like this is where we are – we are destroying the freedom of expression in America.”
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen joined other congressional Democrats Thursday to unveil a bill designed to protect freedom of speech in the wake of Kimmel’s suspension.
The No Political Enemies Act, or NOPE, would outline legal protections limiting the ability of the federal government to “silence or retaliate against critics.”
“We must…call out those who cave in to his illegal threats. Shame on ABC for buckling under and terminating Jimmy Kimmel,” Van Hollen said at a rally near the United States Capitol Friday afternoon.
Democratic lawmakers expressed alarm over how President Donald Trump and his allies may seek to squelch dissent. Rep. Glenn Ivey told CNS: “I just think it’s…an effort by the administration to silence any critics out there.”
“It is deeply troubling that the president is focused on going after late-night TV hosts instead of lowering costs and helping American families,” said Rep. Sarah Elfreth said in a statement.
The president said he is considering a further crackdown on television programming deemed overly critical of his administration, suggesting that “maybe their license should be taken away.”
Trump praised ABC for the suspension in a Truth Social post, stating, “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”
Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, appeared to second this opinion.
“In some quarters, there’s a very concerted effort to try to lie to the American people about the nature” of the Kirk assassination, Carr said on a podcast.
Kimmel’s monologue Wednesday had claimed that Kirk’s assassin was part of the “MAGA gang,” a narrative that the administration has repeatedly challenged.
Carr has emphasized enforcing the FCC’s public interest standard in response to Kimmel’s controversy, stating that some stations’ “pattern of news distortion” places them at risk of losing their broadcasting licenses.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr stated. “These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action…or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Carr’s comments prompted responses from a number of Democratic lawmakers, who worry that the FCC head may selectively enforce policy for political purposes.
“I think he is clearly violating his oath and abusing the role of the FCC,” Ivey said. “It’s not supposed to be a censor to protect any presidential administration, and that’s what he’s turning it into.”
Olszewski said, “In America, we should be standing firm in defense of free speech. It is one of the defining characteristics of our democracy.”
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