ABC Lawsuit Accuses the FCC of Running a 'Retaliatory Campaign'

ABC filed a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday, accusing it of punishing television stations for content President Donald Trump dislikes.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr has threatened ABC's broadcast licenses and investigated its workplace diversity practices, as well as Democratic Texas senatorial candidate James Talarico's appearance on "The View." The complaint contends these moves amount to First Amendment violations.

"The Administration has waged a retaliatory campaign against ABC for a single reason: it disapproves of what ABC broadcasts," the company's attorneys wrote in the court filing. "That campaign began in this Administration's earliest days and has only intensified since."

ABC is seeking emergency intervention from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to stop the FCC from demanding early renewal for eight of the company's television stations. None of the licenses was set to expire before 2028, but Carr demanded they file renewals this year. The FCC had not called for early renewals for more than 50 years, according to the complaint.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Carr said at the time during a podcast interview with right-wing political commentator Benny Johnson. "These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead."