It is a group dedicated to protecting journalists and their sources, and on March 31 it made it very clear that FCC Chairman Brendan Carr‘s decision to investigate “news distortion” claims made against CBS News “is a scare tactic, spectacle and show trial.”
Now, the Freedom of the Press Foundation has taken its quarrel with Carr up a notch.
On the same day it filed a Freedom of Information Act suit against the U.S. Department of Justice for withholding a memo about the Trump Administration’s acceptance of a $400 million Qatari jet, the organization filed a complaint to investigate Chairman Carr and potentially disbar him over what Freedom of the Press Foundation contends are moves to punish President Trump’s critics.
Details of the left-leaning organization’s efforts were shared by blogger Oliver Darcy in his Status online news journal. He describes how Freedom of the Press Foundation advocacy head Seth Stern has been considering a disciplinary complaint against Carr for months. Now, it has happened, with the group on July 28 sending a letter to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel at the D.C. Court of Appeals.
Darcy, who was associated with CNN until August 2024, obtained a copy of the letter. In it, the Freedom of the Press Foundation asked the counsel to investigate and potentially disbar Carr. How can that happen?
As the Freedom of the Press Foundation sees it, as a lawyer and member of the D.C. Bar, Carr is “bound by the D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct and must uphold the principles of competence, integrity, impartiality, and respect for the Constitution.”
That is something Carr has failed at, the Foundation argues, as he has “engaged in egregious misconduct” as the head of the FCC.
BLURRED LINES
For the Freedom of the Press Foundation, blurring the line between law and politics has been the basis of Carr’s tenure as FCC Chairman. It took aim at reinstated investigations into NBC, ABC and CBS, even though they were dismissed by the Rosenworcel Commission in its waning days under delegated authority by interim bureau chiefs. It also expressed dismay at how the Carr Commission is forcing companies to abide by an edict to not engage in “invidious” Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs. “Slow-walking” the Paramount Global-Skydance merger while imposing a series of conditions is another complaint of the foundation.
Is this all opinion without a basis of factual actions the D.C. Bar could consider as grounds for disbarment? Or, is there a serious violation of the rules of professional conduct for not being impartial?
The foundation believes the latter will bring its matter some merit. “Carr’s actions brazenly violate legal and ethical standards that govern the practice of law and public officials, undermining the First Amendment, the FCC’s credibility and the laws he is trusted to administer,” the letter said, as reported by Status. “His abuse of his office to force an unwarranted settlement of a private lawsuit, is shameful and warrants disbarment. But his repeated interference with constitutional rights, misrepresentations of FCC authority, blatant partisanship and selective enforcement and failure to comply with federal ethics rules demonstrate a lack of competence, integrity and professionalism, even putting Paramount aside … We respectfully urge the Office of Disciplinary Counsel to investigate these actions and take appropriate disciplinary measures, up to and including disbaring Carr.”
Carr did not respond to Darcy’s request for comment. Since becoming FCC Chairman, Carr has repeatedly declined interview requests from RBR+TVBR, going so far as to post a meme on X of Taylor Swift with the message, “You Need to Calm Down.”
