Trump Rescinds O’Rielly Nomination at FCC

[frankberry]

Michael O’Rielly’s renomination as an FCC Commissioner was rescinded by President Trump Monday, according to published reports.
O’Rielly was originally nominated to the FCC by President Barack Obama and was sworn in November 2013. He was sworn into a second term in 2015. His term expired in June.

https://www.nexttv.com/news/trump-rescinds-oreilly-nominiation-at-fcc

 

[TheBigA]

O'Rielly's biggest crime is he's too moderate. And he's a friend of broadcasters.

So now we can expect he'll nominate someone who will carry out his campaign against social media and the news media.

They've been looking for a place to put Sebastian Gorka. This might be it.

 

[TheBigA]

More on the decision to rescind O'Rielly's nomination:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-commissioner-to-serve-new-term-idUSKCN24Z2NI

Earlier on Monday, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the agency would take public comment on the petition filed last week at Trump’s request. O’Rielly has expressed some skepticism about whether the FCC has authority to issue new regulations covering social media companies.

O’Rielly in June expressed “deep reservations” in a C-SPAN program about whether Congress had given the FCC power to limit social media companies’ legal protections.

More detail on O'Rielly's interview:

https://deadline.com/2020/08/donald-trump-fcc-michael-orielly-1203003221/

Last week, O’Rielly addressed in a speech he gave to the Media Institute in which he criticized the effort to target the social media platforms.

“The First Amendment protects us from limits on speech imposed by the government—not private actors—and we should all reject demands, in the name of the First Amendment, for private actors to curate or publish speech in a certain way,” he said.

“Like it or not, the First Amendment’s protections apply to corporate entities, especially when they engage in editorial decision making. I shudder to think of a day in which the Fairness Doctrine could be reincarnated for the Internet, especially at the ironic behest of so-called free speech ‘defenders.'”

O’Rielly said that his remarks weren’t directed at Trump or White House officials, who he said were within their rights to seek FCC action, but to “certain opportunists elsewhere who claim to be the First Amendment’s biggest heroes but only come to its defense when convenient and constantly shift its meaning to fit their current political objectives.”

 

[Kelly A]

O'Rielly's biggest crime is he's too moderate. And he's a friend of broadcasters.

So now we can expect he'll nominate someone who will carry out his campaign against social media and the news media.

They've been looking for a place to put Sebastian Gorka. This might be it.

Ugh, that's what we need..

POTUS has been upset that the Commission has regularly pushed-back on various statements that the President has threatened media with. Some of the notable threats include:

* Threatening to revoke CNN's license because of unflattering reports. (Yes, they're a cable network)
* Threats to revoke NBC's license starting with the Lester Holt interview way back at the beginning.
* Interest in regulating speech of the Public Internet, including his favorite social media choice; Twitter.
* Threats to revoke AT&T's licenses because of poor cell coverage at his Maralago Resort in Florida.