Jonathan Reiss writes:

The FCC holds tremendous sway over broadcast media, but few administrations have pushed the boundaries of its power — and few appointees at the agency have openly talked about doing so with such nakedly political aims the way Carr does.

In his effort to bring the media to heel, Trump could not invent a better ally than Carr, who has laid out a program for weaponizing the FCC against Trump’s enemies.

Do you even understand the level of fit that @BrendanCarrFCC has?

Please check 🔥👊🏼 pic.twitter.com/zZYZt7Q4vj

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 3, 2025

It’s not hard to see the extraordinary depth of Carr’s dedication to Trump: While many officials wear American flag pins on their lapels to show loyalty to the country, Carr has proudly posted photos of himself wearing a gold Trump bust — demonstrating such total fealty that it won admiration on X from Benny Johnson, another Trump loyalist.

Carr jointed the FCC as a staff lawyer in 2012 and was appointed by Trump as a commissioner in 2017.

In 2024, amid the presidential campaign, Carr waged an unabashed campaign to be named FCC chair. He appeared on Fox News espousing Trumpist talking points and authored the chapter on the FCC in Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s controversial blueprint for a new Trump term. Already a commission member, Carr ignored the FCC ethics attorney’s warnings about becoming the first sitting government official to work on a political document like Project 2025, and he brushed off admonishments to not use his official title in doing so. [Continue reading…]