Breaking: Trump Threatens Free Speech Again (Yawn)

The head honcho over at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Jessica Rosenworcel, isn't having any of former President Donald Trump's nonsense. After Trump's latest tantrum calling to revoke CBS’s broadcast licenses over a “FAKE NEWS SCAM" involving Vice President Kamala Harris' "60 Minutes" interview, Rosenworcel clapped back with a statement on Thursday.

In a Truth Social post, Trump threw a fit over CBS’s editing of the interview, claiming they replaced Harris’s answer to make her look better. He even declared the incident "the single biggest scandal in broadcast history" during a speech in Detroit. God forbid someone looks competent, eh, Donald?

But let's rewind a bit. During a teaser clip for the interview on "Face the Nation", viewers saw a different response from Harris than what aired on "60 Minutes". Shocking, I know—a news program editing content for time and clarity. Gasp!

Trump's camp, always one to milk a controversy, immediately called for the full interview to be released unedited. Karoline Leavitt, Trump campaign’s national press secretary, told Fox News Channel, "What do they, and Kamala, have to hide?" Spoiler alert: probably nothing, but who needs facts when you can make baseless accusations?

The Harris campaign, bless their hearts, tried to stay above the fray. They told Variety, “We do not control CBS’s production decisions and refer questions to CBS.” CBS, presumably tired of the drama, chose not to comment.

Rosenworcel wasn’t about to let this slide. “While repeated attacks against broadcast stations by the former President may now be familiar, these threats against free speech are serious and should not be ignored,” she said in a statement Thursday. “The First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy ... The FCC does not and will not revoke licenses for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage.” Mic drop.

Mark Feldstein, professor of journalism at the University of Maryland, clear as day, explained that editing interviews is standard practice. “The question is whether the responses used are out of context or an unfair representation of what the interviewee said,” he told USA TODAY. “I don't see it here in this case."

Feldstein also called out Trump’s whining for what it is—an attempt to divert attention from his own refusal to sit down for a "60 Minutes" interview.

Fun fact: The FCC doesn’t even have the power to revoke a network’s license. They issue licenses for individual stations, not entire networks. Pointless threats, much?

In case you've been living under a rock, Trump has a history of trying to silence the media. Back in 2017, then-FCC chairman Ajit Pai pushed back against Trump when he called for NBC’s punishment over its coverage. In case you need a refresher, here’s Pai’s statement.

Trump’s latest antics are just another reminder of his disdain for a free press. But with champions like Rosenworcel, the First Amendment stands strong. So keep whining, Donald. We'll keep laughing.

Follow Mike Snider, who’s probably rolling his eyes right about now, on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider .

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