Trump FCC Chair Roasted By Critics For Threatening CNN Over Accurate Headline

Trump’s handpicked Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, kicked up a firestorm of condemnation this week when he threatened CNN after the network ran a statement from Iran that angered President Donald Trump.

CNN anchor Jake Tapper explained the whole saga during his show on Thursday. Tapper explained that after the ceasefire was announced, the network ran a statement from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. “That statement spun the ceasefire and claimed Iran had achieved victory, forcing the U.S. to accept its 10-point plan,” Tapper continued, adding:

It said in part, quote, “The enemy and its unfair, unlawful, and criminal war against the Iranian nation has suffered an undeniable historic and crushing defeat,” unquote. CNN reported that statement online, in real time. There was also a separate, more measured statement from Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, which CNN published as well. At 7:42 p.m. Eastern, President Trump posted that second statement, which basically said Iran would cease their attacks if attacks against Iran stopped, and then they would reopen the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks.

But President Trump apparently did not like that first statement that we reported on — the one from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. So at 8:01 p.m. Eastern, the president posted on Truth Social, quote, “The alleged statement put out by CNN World News is a fraud. As CNN well knows, the false statement was linked to a fake news site from Nigeria. Authorities are looking to determine whether or not a crime was committed on the issuance of the fake CNN World statement, or was it a sick rogue player? CNN is being ordered to immediately withdraw the statement with full apologies for their, as usual, terrible reporting,” unquote.

Before I go on, let me just say: none of that is true. None of that is accurate.

Tapper then explained that Carr shared Trump’s post and tweeted, quote, “Iran put out an official statement that simply cannot be squared with the one CNN’s false headline attributes to them. Time for change at CNN.”

Carr’s threat against CNN led to a rebuttal from the network and condemnation from across the media world.

Tapper finished his monologue by saying, “Here’s what actually happened. Iranian officials made that first statement. It was reported on multiple Iranian state media outlets and by other news outlets all over the world. CNN also received the statement from specific official Iranian spokespeople who are known to us. Chairman Carr’s attack on CNN — that quote, ‘Iran put out an official statement that simply cannot be squared with the one CNN’s false headline attributes to them,’ unquote — is quite revealing, but it doesn’t reveal anything about CNN.”

Carr’s post led to accusations of attacks on the free press from many observers and known pundits. Independent journalist Matthew Yglesias reacted, “The left has not always covered itself in glory on free speech, but Brendan Carr’s repeated explicit efforts to use the FCC to censor television news is so far beyond anything else that’s happened in recent American life.”

Media writer Paul Farhi added, “The statement reported by CNN appears to be authentic and newsworthy. The only ‘outrageous conduct’ is blindly repeating a false accusation.”

Below are some more reactions:

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