FCC’s Carr Calls Colbert-Talarico Controversy a ‘Hoax’

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr defended the agency’s rules regarding equal air time for political candidates and said the controversy over an interview between CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert and Texas state Representative James Talarico — that never aired on the network — wasn’t the result of government censorship.

Talarico, who is seeking a US Senate seat, used the incident to grab attention and campaign donations as he faces off against Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in a closely watched primary race, according to Carr.

“You had a Democrat candidate who understood the way the news media works and he took ...