US broadcast regulator rejects Trump call to pull ABC licenses over presidential debate

The chair of the Federal Communications Commission rejected former US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Walt Disney-owned ABC should lose its broadcast licenses over the network’s moderating Sept. 10 presidential debate.

“The First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy. The Commission does not revoke licenses for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage,” FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said on Thursday.

The FCC, an independent federal agency, does not license broadcast networks, but issues them to individual broadcast stations that are renewed on a staggered basis for eight-year periods.

Trump has repeatedly complained about how ABC moderators handled the September 10 presidential debate, calling them “dishonest” and partial to his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.

He said Linsey Davis and David Muir fact-checked him three times for every instance that they corrected Harris.

Appearing on “Fox & Friends” the morning after the debate, Trump repeated his accusations against the two debate moderators and demanded that ABC be punished.

“They ought to take away their license for the way they did that,” he said.