Ed Markey Rails Against Trump's 'Regime Of Censorship' Amid 'Relentless' Attack On CBS' 60 Minutes

Forbes Breaking News

During remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) spoke about the Trump administration's attacks on media companies.

Transcript

00:00Mr. President, I rise today to talk about a regime of censorship that is increasing

00:06by the day.

00:07It is the story of Donald Trump's relentless attacks on CBS and its flagship news program

00:1360 Minutes.

00:14It is the story of how the Federal Communications Commission, an agency with a storied history

00:20of protecting free speech, how it has been weaponized to pressure journalists to soften

00:27their coverage of Donald Trump.

00:30It is the story of a campaign to turn our free press into a state-run media echo chamber.

00:36And make no mistake, it is a story that should alarm every single American, Democrat and Republican

00:42alike.

00:43Since leaving office, and even before, Donald Trump has waged a non-stop war on the free

00:50press.

00:51He has called journalists the enemy of the people.

00:54He has used his platform, Truth Social, to attack reporters to smear respected news organizations

01:01and to incite harassment and threats against those who dare to report the truth.

01:08But recently, we have witnessed something even more dangerous.

01:12The merging of Trump's personal vendettas with the official powers of the government.

01:17So let's start with the facts.

01:20Trump and his allies' hatred for CBS and 60 Minutes is no secret.

01:26Trump has repeatedly attacked 60 Minutes on his Truth Social account just two weeks ago.

01:31For example, he said that CBS should lose its license over its reporting, even though CBS,

01:37as a network, doesn't have a license.

01:40He then told FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to, quote, impose the maximum fines and punishment on

01:48CBS.

01:50Earlier in February, Trump called for 60 Minutes to be, quote, terminated.

01:55Around the same time, Elon Musk got in on the action.

02:01Just a few days before Vice President Vance traveled to Germany to accuse Europe of censoring

02:06conservatives, Musk called 60 Minutes the, quote, biggest liars in the world.

02:13And said its journalists, quote, deserve a long prison sentence.

02:18So let me repeat that.

02:19The richest man in the world, with nearly limitless authority over the federal government, said

02:24that 60 Minutes journalists, quote, deserve a long prison sentence over their editorial decision-making.

02:33That is a terrifying statement.

02:36These comments aren't idle threats.

02:38They create an environment of intimidation and fear.

02:41They send a signal.

02:43Criticize us, and you will face not just public smears, but potential legal jeopardy.

02:49The goal is clear.

02:51Trump and his allies want to turn the hard-hitting, fact-intensive journalism at 60 Minutes into Fox

02:58and Friends.

02:59And at the same time, as Trump and his allies have unleashed a torrent of attacks against

03:0560 Minutes, CBS's parent company, Paramount, has been seeking regulatory approval from the

03:12FCC for an $8 billion merger.

03:16Although this deal has serious implications for the entertainment industry, Trump and his

03:22right-wing allies instead viewed it as a point of leverage against the news media.

03:28For months, the Trump FCC has made clear that favorable merger treatment will come at a

03:33cost.

03:34Favorable coverage, or more precisely, less critical coverage of Donald Trump.

03:42Most notably, Chairman Carr has made clear that a frivolous, politically motivated complaint

03:47against CBS over its editorial decision-making would be a consideration in the Paramount merger

03:55review.

03:56In fact, just yesterday, Chairman Carr said cryptically that, quote, all options are on the table in

04:04its investigation into that frivolous complaint.

04:09It's not hard to read between the lines.

04:11CBS's news reporting and its reporting on Donald Trump would impact the FCC review of the Paramount

04:18merger.

04:20It's a message intended to reverberate far beyond CBS and far beyond 60 Minutes.

04:27The FCC has become the Federal Censorship Commission, and Federal Censorship Commission Chairman Carr is

04:34ready, eager, and willing to carry out Trump's crusade against the news media.

04:40This is not regulatory oversight.

04:43This is regulatory blackmail, and it places Paramount and CBS in a difficult spot.

04:49Succumb to Trump's wishes and compromise CBS's journalism or stand strong and face the wrath

04:55of the Federal Censorship Commission.

04:58This position is already leading to upheaval within the companies.

05:03Last week, executive producer Bill Owens, who had worked at 60 Minutes for over two decades,

05:08signed, citing concerns about his ability to make independent decisions.

05:14On Sunday night, just two nights ago, in a closing one-minute statement, 60 Minutes journalist

05:20Scott Pelley reported on Owens' resignation and called out Paramount directly.

05:27The full story inside Paramount, CBS, and 60 Minutes remains unclear.

05:32And Pelley made clear that Paramount has not killed any 60 Minutes stories.

05:38But it's difficult to ignore the timing.

05:41This is how modern censorship creeps into newsrooms.

05:45It doesn't require book burning or secret raids.

05:48It requires weaponizing existing government authority to pressure the multi-national corporations

05:55with diverse financial interests that run storied programs like 60 Minutes.

06:01This is a five-alarm fire for democracy.

06:06The free press is not just another stakeholder in our public discourse.

06:11It is the check on power.

06:14And when government officials use their power to intimidate the press, to manipulate newsrooms,

06:21and silence dissent, they are not just committing an ethical breach.

06:26They are committing an assault upon the First Amendment.

06:30So let me be absolutely clear.

06:32The FCC should never condition a merger on favorable news coverage.

06:38History teaches us that censorship rarely begins with overt tyranny.

06:43It begins with small concessions, subtle pressures, self-censorship born of fear.

06:50But it always ends the same way.

06:52With a citizenry less informed, a democracy less vibrant, and a government less accountable.

06:59We cannot allow that to happen in the United States of America.

07:03We must remember that freedom of the press is not a partisan issue.

07:06It is an American issue.

07:08And we must always have to have the courage to stand up, to speak out, and to say, in this

07:15country, no president will dictate the truth.

07:19That is the promise of the First Amendment.

07:22That is the promise of our democracy.

07:24And that is the promise that we must keep.

07:28So I thank you, Mr. President, and I yield the floor.

07:32Thank you, Mr. President.

07:34Thank you, Mr. President.

07:40Thanks, Mr. President.

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