The chair of the Federal Communications Commission has stated that former President Donald Trump’s demands for CBS and other networks to lose their licenses represent serious threats to free speech.

On Thursday, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel made her comments in response to Trump’s request on Truth Social, where he claimed CBS should face license revocation due to what he labeled a “FAKE NEWS SCAM” related to how they edited their interview with Vice President Kamala Harris on “60 Minutes.”

Trump also referenced the “60 Minutes” interview during a speech in Detroit, calling it “the biggest scandal ever in broadcast history,” as reported by Rolling Stone.

During a preview clip aired on “Face the Nation” on October 6, the interviewer Bill Whitaker asked Harris about the U.S.-Israeli relationship, but the response shown was different from what aired on “60 Minutes” on October 7.

Trump claimed that CBS altered Harris’s response “to protect her or at least make her appear better,” suggesting this change was a form of election interference, according to his Truth Social comments.

Neither Harris’s nor Trump’s campaigns provided immediate commentary regarding the incident when approached by YSL News.

On Tuesday, the Trump campaign demanded CBS release the entire unedited interview. “Why did ’60 Minutes’ decide not to air Kamala’s full commentary, and what else did they withhold?” asked Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt during an interview with Fox News Channel. “The American people deserve to see the full, unedited transcript of Kamala’s interview. … What are they hiding?”

The Harris campaign responded to Variety on Wednesday, stating, “We do not dictate CBS’s editorial decisions, so please direct your queries to them.”

CBS has not commented on the matter. Both segments of the interview are still available for viewing online.

This latest incident adds to Trump’s ongoing criticisms of major broadcast networks. Last month, he targeted ABC, asserting that the network should be penalized due to perceived bias from the moderators during the September 10 debate.

Rosenworcel denounced Trump’s attacks on the media, stating, “While his continuous assaults on broadcast networks may be familiar, these threats to free speech are significant and cannot be overlooked.”

She added, “The First Amendment is fundamental to our democracy. The FCC does not and will not revoke licenses based simply on a political candidate’s disagreements with or disdain for certain content or coverage.”

Did CBS edit the ’60 Minutes’ interview with Vice President Harris?

Yes, and this is a routine practice in news broadcasting. TV news programs frequently edit interviews to fit their time constraints, which is true for other news sources as well, noted Mark Feldstein, a journalism professor at the University of Maryland.

Feldstein explained, “The issue is whether the edits distorted the context or misrepresented the interviewee’s statements.” In this case, he believes that both versions of the broadcast accurately reflect Harris’s generalized responses; the only difference lies in which parts of her longer answers were shown in each airtime.

He added, “Ultimately, this seems to be more complaining from Trump regarding how unfairly he feels the mainstream media treats him – and a way to justify his avoidance of a ’60 Minutes’ interview.”

Trump indeed declined an interview on the usual “60 Minutes” pre-election segment where candidates are featured, as CBS News reported, partly because he believed the show would fact-check him.

Can the FCC revoke CBS’s broadcasting license?

No, they cannot. The FCC provides licenses to broadcast stations, not to networks. On their website, the FCC clarifies that they do not license “TV or radio networks (like CBS, NBC, ABC, or Fox) or other affiliated entities, such as PBS or NPR, unless those organizations are also licensed stations.”

Nonetheless, Trump’s “alarming demand to punish CBS” signals a deeper concern, according to Feldstein. “This demonstrates Trump’s disdain for press freedom and highlights the potential abuses of power he might pursue if he returns to the White House,” he concluded.

Earlier this year, Trump remarked that CNN and NBC “should have their licenses so-called taken away” when those networks chose not to air his live comments following his Iowa caucus victory, as noted by Steve Benen, editor of MaddowBlog on MSNBC.com.

In 2017, Ajit Pai, the then-FCC chairman appointed by Trump, also pushed back against Trump’s assertions that NBC should be sanctioned for its reporting on him.

According to The Washington Post, the FCC’s stance regarding broadcasts during the Trump administration was emphasized by Pai.

In 2017, after Trump suggested that NBC should receive penalties for its critical reporting, Pai stated, “I support the First Amendment. Under my leadership, the FCC will uphold the rights provided by it,” the Post reported. He noted that “The FCC does not have the power to revoke a broadcasting license due to the content of specific news reports.”

Rosenworcel has also maintained this viewpoint.

Following Trump’s remarks about ABC in relation to the presidential debate, she remarked, “The First Amendment is fundamental to our democracy. The freedom for broadcasters to express themselves is grounded in this amendment. Threatening broadcast stations for airing content that opposes government perspectives is harmful and undermines the core principle of free expression.”