A Runaway Carr

Pressed by Status over text message, FCC boss Brendan Carr defended his actions—including his decision not to go after Rupert Murdoch's Fox.

Author

Oliver Darcy
February 12, 2025

Brendan Carr. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

On Tuesday evening, as I was putting the finishing touches on the previous edition of this newsletter, news broke that Brendan Carr, Donald Trump’s handpicked Federal Communications Commission chairman, had launched yet another investigation into a media company. Carr had already revived petitions filed by pro-MAGA forces against ABC, NBC, and CBS. He had also announced a string of investigations targeting NPR, PBS, and the Soros-backed Audacy. Now, he had written to Comcast boss Brian Roberts, informing him that the FCC would be investigating whether the company—which owns NBC—had violated the law because of its D.E.I. initiatives.

Carr has been aggressive in pursuing media companies with news divisions that have scrutinized Trump, but, as we have pointed out, he has conspicuously given Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corporation a pass. The pattern of enforcement has made his motivations seem clear: Carr is intent on using his government authority to go after media organizations that have challenged Trump while shielding those that support him.

When Carr resurrected petitions filed against ABC, NBC, and CBS, he declined to revive a petition that former Murdoch lieutenant Preston Padden had filed against Fox. The four petitions had been dismissed by Carr’s predecessor in the final days of the Biden administration—until Carr’s recent move to reinstate the non-Fox cases. Padden and others had argued that Murdoch, by allowing Fox News to spread 2020 election falsehoods, was unfit to hold a broadcast license under the FCC’s character requirements.

Earlier this month, I asked the FCC why Carr had so obviously exempted Murdoch amid the agency’s flurry of activity. The FCC never responded. I also texted Carr, but heard nothing back. Then, on Tuesday, after watching Carr open yet another probe into a media company that wasn’t Fox, I followed up with him directly. “Hey Brendan, just following up on this, given you seem to be launching probes into every other company but [you're] curiously not interested in the Fox situation?”

To my surprise, a few moments later, Carr replied. And for the next hour or so, we traded text messages.

The rest of this article is for paid subscribers only. Here’s what’s behind the paywall:

  • 📲 What Carr said – His defense of his actions and why he claims Fox is off-limits.

  • ⚖️ The legal debate – A former Republican FCC chair counters Carr’s arguments.

  • 🔍 What happens next – Carr signaled more investigations are to come. Who’s in his crosshairs?

  • 🤐 When Carr went silent – The moment he stopped responding and what that tells us.

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The ABC News logo seen at the network's presidential debate. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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The remainder of this newsletter is for paid subscribers only.

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