In a Thursday post on his Truth Social platform, former President Donald Trump argued that Vice President Kamala Harris “should be investigated and forced off the Campaign,” thereby allowing President Joe Biden “to take back his rightful place” at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Trump did not specify what he believes Harris — who became the Republican’s rival in the White House race after Biden dropped his reelection bid this summer— should be investigated for.
He also wrote that “CBS SHOULD LOSE ITS LICENSE,” a demand that Trump has made before. He appeared to base his assertion on a complaint filed with the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday by the Center for American Rights, a legal group.
The complaint alleges that CBS engaged in “news distortion” by editing a “60 Minutes” interview with Harris, as some of her remarks seen in a preview for the interview were different than those in another version aired on TV.
“THIS IS THE BIGGEST SCANDAL IN BROADCAST HISTORY,” Trump wrote.
The FCC licenses individual broadcast stations, not TV networks, so it wouldn’t have the power to comply with Trump’s Truth Social demand.
FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel has previously warned that Trump’s calls for license revocation amount to “threats against free speech.”
“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,” Rosenworcel said in a statement last week.
“As I’ve said before, 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.”
Meanwhile, Harris sat for a 30-minute interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier on Wednesday. Trump has recently backed out of previously scheduled interviews with not only “60 Minutes,” but also CNBC.
