"The White House referred Axios to the FCC for comment. The FCC did not immediately respond. Zoom in: Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) began the line of questioning, citing the FCC's website, which said the agency was independent as of Wednesday morning. By Wednesday afternoon, the FCC's mission statement no longer said it was independent. What we're watching: Chairman Carr would not respond directly to questions about whether he believed the president was his boss."
"He would not answer whether it's appropriate if the president were to pressure him to go after media companies. He suggested the president has the power to fire him and other FCC commissioners. Between the lines: For years, Carr has supported lifting a national ownership cap that prevented local broadcasters from merging. Trump surprisingly said in November that he opposed that idea because removing the cap "would also allow the Radical Left Networks to 'enlarge,'" and "I would not be happy.""
Supreme Court oral arguments hinted that President Trump might be allowed to fire Federal Trade Commission members. The White House directed inquiries to the FCC, which did not immediately respond. The FCC's mission statement removed the characterization of the agency as independent by Wednesday afternoon. Chairman Brendan Carr declined to say whether he viewed the president as his boss or whether presidential pressure to target media companies would be appropriate. Carr suggested the president may have firing authority over FCC commissioners. Carr has long supported lifting the national broadcast ownership cap, and the FCC is evaluating national programmers' constraining power over local news syndicates.
Read at Axios
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