Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s warning that television broadcasters could face scrutiny over their coverage of the U.S.’s war in Iran is drawing bipartisan criticism and prompting quiet concern among Republicans who fear the rhetoric could backfire politically heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
Carr wrote on social media Saturday that stations spreading “hoaxes and news distortions” about the conflict could face consequences when their broadcast licenses come up for renewal.
“Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions – also known as the fake news – have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up,” Carr wrote. “The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.”
President Donald Trump echoed and amplified comments from Carr, suggesting that broadcasters could face scrutiny over their licenses if they air coverage critical of the war in Iran.
In a Truth Social post Sunday night, Trump said he was “thrilled” that Carr was “looking at the licenses of some of these Corrupt and Highly Unpatriotic ‘News’ Organizations,” adding that broadcasters “get Billions of Dollars of FREE American Airwaves, and use it to perpetuate LIES.”
The comments have sparked new warnings from critics who argue that the threat risks reinforcing Democratic claims that the Trump administration is attempting to pressure the media. Behind the scenes, some Republicans say the remarks are also creating discomfort within their own ranks.
“Every time Carr posts or says something like this, many of us are collectively throwing up our hands,” said an aide to a GOP senator, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “We may not be saying it publicly but it’s not a good look. For those of us who support free speech and oppose government overreach, this is everything we are against.”
The aide added that the rhetoric could also create a political precedent that Republicans later regret.
“There’s clearly an effort to pressure the narrative in a more positive direction,” the aide said. “The concern, though, is that it sets a standard. Once that line is crossed, a future Democratic administration could easily point back to it and justify doing the exact same thing.”
Some Republicans have already begun publicly voicing objections.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) distanced himself from the idea Sunday, saying he opposes government pressure on private media outlets.
“I am a big supporter of the First Amendment,” Johnson said during an appearance on Fox News’s The Sunday Briefing. “I do not like the heavy-handed government, no matter who is wielding it. … I would rather the federal government stay out of the private sector as much as possible.”
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also warned that threatening enforcement against news organizations could undermine core conservative arguments about free speech.
“It’s the responsibility of journalists and media companies to get the truth out to the American people, and I never want to see the government take control or try to take that away,” Greene said Monday on CNN. “Americans are fed a lot of propaganda depending on the political views of the media platform. That’s wrong. No government, whether Republican or Democrat, should ever put a lid or any type of threatening enforcement on media companies as they try to get the truth out.”
Even some GOP strategists who support the administration’s broader messaging on the war say targeting broadcasters carries political risk.
“I think there’s a real danger of general election voters seeing something like this as a First Amendment overreach,” said a Republican strategist who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal party concerns. “And it also has the effect of drawing more attention to the very coverage the administration is criticizing.”
The strategist added that threatening media outlets could complicate Republicans’ messaging on government overreach, a theme the party often emphasizes on the campaign trail.
“There’s a deep fear that it could alienate voters,” the strategist said. “When Americans are worried about affordability and watching developments overseas, attacking media outlets over their coverage of the conflict just doesn’t help the party’s political positioning.”
Democrats have been far more direct in their condemnation. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) also took aim at Carr during a Monday press conference, saying criticism of broadcasters over their coverage of the conflict could ultimately draw more attention to the outlets the administration is targeting.
“That’s what the chair of the FCC has accomplished,” Jeffries said, accusing administration officials of focusing on media coverage of what he called a “deeply unpopular war of choice in the Middle East.”
He added that officials should be focused on protecting U.S. troops rather than criticizing news outlets.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said Carr’s comments were “straight out of the authoritarian playbook.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X that the idea was “flagrantly unconstitutional,” while Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) described the warning as an “overreach by the FCC.”
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) went further Monday, sending Carr a letter calling on him to resign. Markey wrote that Carr’s post “demonstrated your continued effort to turn the FCC into Trump’s personal speech police.”
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) also blasted the warning on social media.“A truly extraordinary moment,” Murphy wrote. “We aren’t on the verge of a totalitarian takeover. WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT. Act like it.”
Carr’s comments over the weekend came after the White House sharply criticized CNN for a report suggesting the administration had underestimated how the war with Iran could affect the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic shipping corridor through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply moves each day.
CARR THREATENS TO STRIP BROADCASTERS OF FCC LICENCES OVER IRAN COVERAGE
For some Republicans, the timing and tone raise concerns about the political impact as the party heads toward what is already expected to be a difficult midterm environment.
“We already have headwinds,” the GOP strategist said. “We don’t need to create new ones ourselves.”
Hailey Bullis contributed to this report.
