FCC Chairman Brendan Carr Schools Senator Jacky Rosen in Tense Senate Hearing Exchange

In a widely circulated moment from Wednesday’s Senate Commerce Committee oversight hearing, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr corrected Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen’s (D) attempt to push for an investigation into Fox News over alleged deceptive editing of a Donald Trump interview, emphasizing a fundamental legal distinction between broadcast and cable television.

The exchange, which quickly went viral after conservative commentator Alec Lace shared video footage describing it as an “epic shutdown,” centered on Rosen’s accusation of selective enforcement by the FCC.

Having testified before Congress I know Senators like @SenJackyRosen rely on staffers to prep. They read word for word from scripts trying to play “gotcha” but the staff is stupid, they make the Senator embarrass herself, and the whole hearing becomes a waste of everyone’s time. https://t.co/L8s82X7y3v

— Daniel Turner (@DanielTurnerPTF) December 17, 2025

Rosen highlighted the agency’s ongoing probe into CBS for editing a 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, contrasting it with what she claimed was similar editing by Fox News.

Rosen pressed Carr: “Earlier this year, it came to light that Fox News also edited an interview with Donald Trump… in which he was asked if he would release the Epstein files. The edited interview ends after Trump says ‘Yes, I would.’ But the unedited version shows Trump hedging… So, Chairman Carr, yes or no please… will you commit to opening an investigation into Fox News for deceptively editing this clip?”

She continued, accusing Carr of bias: “You’re deciding that some investigation should go on and others shouldn’t. Are you basing this solely on the target? … This was clearly edited. Why is one edit fine and one edit not in the middle of a presidential campaign?”

Carr responded: “Senator, it’s based on the law. The Fox News interview was on cable. There’s no public interest standard. There’s no broadcast hoax rule. There’s no news distortion [rule for cable].”

When Rosen invoked a general “rule for fairness” and argued that “the American public understand what’s fair and just,” Carr countered: “Do you think there’s a broad fairness rule that we should apply at the FCC to cable companies?”

Rosen, appearing caught off guard, replied briefly before pivoting: “I’m going to go on to merger threats then.”

Carr later addressed the exchange on X, quoting Rosen’s subsequent post and noting: “Senator, you left out the portion of our exchange where I explained to you that you had confused a cable program for a broadcast program. As I said, I’m not investigating a cable program based on your claim that it violated FCC rules that apply only to a broadcast program.”

Senator, you left out the portion of our exchange where I explained to you that you had confused a *cable program* for a *broadcast program*

As I said, I’m not investigating a *cable program* based on your claim that it violated FCC rules that apply only to a *broadcast program* https://t.co/0XCAzJkRQF

— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) December 18, 2025

During the tense theatrical hearing, Democrats accused the FCC of selective censorship and partisanship. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), during a meltdown related to the temporary suspension of late night host Jimmy Kimmel, demanded Carr resign.

Markey charged, “He is turning the Federal Communications Commission into the Federal Censorship Commission. It’s a betrayal of the FCC’s mission. You should resign, Mr. Chairman. You are creating a chilling effect.”