Ted Cruz Blasts FCC Chair’s ‘Mafioso’ Tactic to Bench Kimmel (2)

Sept. 19, 2025, 9:49 PM UTC

Senator Ted Cruz has become the most prominent Republican to criticize Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, saying President Donald Trump’s top media regulator resorted to “mafioso” behavior to pressure Disney Corp.’s ABC to remove late night host Jimmy Kimmel.

Cruz, the chairman of the Commerce Committee and a frequent defender of the Trump administration, took to his podcast in the wake of Kimmel’s indefinite suspension this week to describe Carr’s actions as “dangerous.”

Carr earlier in the week implied on another podcast that ABC could face serious consequences from the government over Kimmel’s remarks about ...

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