US Senator Ted Cruz has launched a strong attack on the head of America’s broadcast regulator over the suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.
Cruz accused the regulator’s leader of acting like “a mafioso,” marking the most forceful criticism from a conservative Republican amid the growing controversy surrounding Kimmel’s suspension.
He described FCC chairman Brendan Carr’s warning to ABC about Kimmel’s monologue on the killing of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk as extremely dangerous.
The FCC regulates broadcast networks like ABC, NBC and CBS by issuing their licenses, which legally must serve the public interest.
The dispute began when Kimmel suggested the alleged killer of Charlie Kirk was a MAGA Republican.
On his podcast Verdict with Ted Cruz, the senator emphasised on Friday that he hated what Kimmel said about Kirk, and he is "thrilled that he was fired."
He also said Carr was "a good guy. But what he [Carr] said there is dangerous as hell. And so he threatens, explicitly, we're going to cancel ABC's licence."
"We're going to take them off the air so ABC cannot broadcast anymore. He says we can do this the easy way, or we could do this the hard way, yeah. And I got to say that's right out of Goodfellas," Cruz added.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump defended Carr in the Oval Office on Friday and said "I disagree with Ted Cruz."
Another Republican Senator, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, told reporters that Cruz was "absolutely right" in his criticism of Carr.