U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, condemned President Donald Trump’s “assault on free speech” a day after ABC suspended late-night host Jimmy Kimmel following his comments on the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The seismic show business news rippled through national politics on Wednesday. Democrats in Washington criticized the move that the network made following pressure from two companies that operate dozens of ABC affiliates. It was cheered on by the Trump-appointed head of the Federal Communications Commission, which can suspend broadcasting licenses.
Pingree, who represents Maine’s 1st District, said in a Thursday social media post, she said Trump is “weaponizing the federal government to silence dissent and shred the First Amendment” and criticized media companies for acceding to him.
“This assault on free speech will not be forgotten,” Pingree said.
She was the only member of the state’s congressional delegation to comment on the sidelining of Kimmel as of Thursday evening. The offices of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine’s 2nd District, did not respond to requests for comment.
Kimmel made remarks on his show Monday and Tuesday about the reaction to Kirk’s killing last week, saying many Republicans are trying to capitalize on his death. At one point, he said Trump supporters are “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
The FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, argued Kimmel was trying to mislead the public by saying that the man accused in the shooting was a Trump supporter. Authorities say 22-year-old Tyler Robinson grew up in a conservative household in Utah but was enmeshed in “leftist ideology.”
Kimmel was the longest-tenured host in late night, an area of the television industry that has struggled with plummeting ratings over the past decade during the rise of streaming services. Last month, CBS announced that it would cancel its “Late Show” franchise effective next year, taking host Stephen Colbert off the air.
Trump has often criticized both hosts for their liberal politics and criticism of him. At a news conference in Great Britain, he said Kimmel had been fired for “lack of talent.” On Air Force One, he told reporters that federal regulators should consider revoking broadcast licenses for networks that “give me only bad publicity.”
ABC, which has aired “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” since 2003, announced the suspension Wednesday shortly after Nexstar Communications Group said its stations would not show Kimmel because his Kirk remarks were “offensive and insensitive.” Nexstar operates 28 ABC affiliates.
Sinclair Broadcast Group said it would not air the show either. The company, which owns the Portland CBS affiliate WGME, called on Kimmel to apologize to Kirk’s family and make a “meaningful personal donation” to the activist’s political organization. Sinclair says that its 38 ABC stations will air a tribute to Kirk on Friday in Kimmel’s time slot.
Both Disney and Nexstar have FCC business ahead of them. Disney is seeking regulatory approval for ESPN’s acquisition of the NFL Network, and Nexstar needs the Trump administration’s blessing to complete its $6.2 billion purchase of broadcast rival Tegna, which owns the NBC affiliates in Portland and Bangor that make up News Center Maine.
In an appearance on CNBC Thursday, Carr cheered the moves by Nexstar and Sinclair. While the FCC does not have formal power over the national networks, it does have the authority to suspend the licenses of individual stations in local markets.
“We’re reinvigorating the FCC’s enforcement of the public interest,” Carr said, “and I think that’s a good thing.”
Story by David Bauder. BDN writer Michael Shepherd contributed to this report.