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