Free speech storm intensifies as Trump goes after Kimmel

 https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5513095-trump-administration-pressures-abc-kimmel

The Trump administration’s pressure campaign against ABC and Jimmy Kimmel, which saw the Federal Communications Commission chief turn up the heat on broadcasters, is intensifying fears over the policing of speech — which were already rising before this week’s late night television uproar.

“I hate what Jimmy Kimmel said. I am thrilled that he was fired,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Friday on his podcast. “But let me tell you, if the government gets in the business of saying ‘we don’t like what you the media have said, we’re going to ban you from the airwaves, if you don’t say what we like,’ that will end up bad for conservatives.”

“Private employers have every right to dismiss employees, whether they’re television talk show hosts or otherwise, if they violate the standards of that company,” Pence said at an event hosted by The Atlantic. “Now, I would have preferred that the chairman of the FCC had not weighed in.”

“This is not a role for the federal government or the chairman of the FCC to be playing,” said Tom Wheeler, who was FCC chair under former President Obama, during a CNN appearance on Friday. “The danger here is authoritarian control of the media. The FCC for 90 years has promoted diversity of thought and now the Trump, Carr FCC is coming in and saying they’ll be the judge of what those views should be.” 

Sen. Mark Warner (R-Va.) shared a clip from Cruz’s podcast in which the Texas Republican said Carr’s threats against ABC were “right out of ‘Goodfellas.’”

“I don’t often agree with Ted Cruz, but when he’s right, he’s right,” Warner said.