WASHINGTON, Aug 30 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday that NBC’s Kristen Welker will be reported to the Federal Communications Commission for “rebuke or punishment,” after he said she reported the Republican president had mixed results in his endorsement of candidates.
“Kristen Welker, the Unpopular ‘Hostess’ of the once great Meet the Press, now considered Meet the Fake Press, just stated that Donald Trump has ‘mixed results’ on his Endorsements of Candidates, when the recent WINS of Darline Graham and Mike Mazzei, stand at 100% for the U.S. Senate, and 98% for the U.S. House,” Trump wrote.
“Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment. Unfortunately, she is not the only one,” Trump added in the post.
NBC did not immediately respond to a question for comment.
Trump’s comments are the latest in an aggressive series of attacks he has leveled on the news media. He has repeatedly urged broadcasters to drop comedy or news programs he dislikes or which have been critical of him or his administration.
ABC and its parent company Disney sued the FCC earlier this month to block an early review of licenses for eight ABC stations, arguing that the Trump administration is trying to punish the network over its broadcast content. Trump has pressed the FCC on numerous occasions to revoke ABC’s licenses.
The FCC is also investigating NBC-parent Comcast’s relationships with its local broadcast TV affiliates, the latest in a series of probes into major U.S. broadcasters, which have broad free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.
Broadcast stations need FCC licenses to use public airwaves. While license revocations are extremely rare, critics say the threat of losing a license can pressure broadcasters and raise concerns about government interference in editorial and programming decisions.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Andrew Chung and David Shepardson; Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Bill Berkrot)
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