Jimmy Kimmel, my wife’s favorite late-night host – God help me! – just got fired.
Needless to say, the left is going crazy about it, as RedState has reported. Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in particular, has ferociously vented that it was a clear violation by the federal government of free speech:
Trump and his allies seem to want to shut down speech that they don’t like to hear. That is not what democracies do. That is what autocracies do. And it doesn’t matter whether you agree with Kimmel or not, he has the right to free speech. And so, it is just outrageous, it is indicative of autocracy. And I am just outraged by it. Again, this is what dictators do, this is what Xi would do, this is what Putin would do. We are not that country.
So much for other Democrat pleas to lower the temperature after the Kirk assassination, I guess.
What Sen. Schumer is referring to are the statements made by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who threatened action against ABC based on the Jimmy Kimmel monologue.
For those who don’t know, “The Federal Communications Commission regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. An independent U.S. government agency overseen by Congress, the commission is the United States' primary authority for communications law, regulation, and technological innovation.” Its Chairman, Carr, is a Republican. So, when Carr spoke to the podcaster and threatened action, this is what Schumer is referring to about President Trump shutting down free speech.
To some, it may indeed seem to be very unconstitutional. That was my initial thought, as well.
But now I don’t think it is, thanks to X/Twitter. The FCC has promulgated many regulations that govern the airwaves. One of them is 47 C.F.R. § 73.1217, on Broadcast Hoaxes, which appears to directly be violated by Kimmel’s statement (Hat tip, Latinx Adjacent Doctor PhD.)
The relevant language from this regulation is:
No licensee or permittee of any broadcast station shall broadcast false information concerning a crime or a catastrophe if:
(1) The licensee knows this information is false;
(2) It is foreseeable that broadcast of the information will cause substantial public harm, and
(3) Broadcast of the information does in fact directly cause substantial public harm.
Remember, in his monologue, Jimmy Kimmel stated, "We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it."
And remember, as my fellow RedStater has already written, at the time Kimmel’s statement was made, “Authorities, including Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and FBI officials, had already clarified he (the killer) was on the left, so anyone with even an ounce of responsibility should have known this.”
READ MORE: Jimmy Kimmel's Despicable Remarks About Man Accused of Killing Charlie Kirk
So, this certainly sounds like a potential broadcast of false information regarding a crime that violates the FCC regulation, and which could have been punished by the FCC. Which is why Chairman Carr said what he said. And the threat of a legitimate investigation by the FCC, coupled with the fact that most objective observers, including those at ABC and Nexstar, are going to assume Jimmy Kimmel deliberately lied about this, is a good reason for ABC and Nexstar to fire the usually unfunny, money-losing comedian, Jimmy Kimmel.
There is nothing unconstitutional about any of this.
Anyway, that is what I and some others think. I also think I am going to hear about this from my wife, though.
Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.
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