FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is calling out ABCs daytime talk show "The View" for partisan cheerleading even as the network presses federal regulators to classify the program as a straight news outlet exempt from political fairness rules.
According to Fox News, Carr took to X on Wednesday after co-host Sunny Hostin used a segment on embattled Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner to urge viewers to help Democrats seize control of the upper chamber. The clash comes as ABC and its Houston affiliate KTRK-TV are asking the Federal Communications Commission to formally deem "The View" a "bona fide news interview program," a designation that would shield it from statutory equal opportunity requirements for political candidates.
Carr highlighted the contradiction between ABCs legal posture and the shows overtly partisan rhetoric, noting that Hostin was openly lobbying for a Democratic Senate majority while the network insists the program should be treated like a traditional news broadcast. "ABC is arguing to the FCC that The View is a bona fide news programjust like Meet the Pressand thus exempt from the political equal opportunity rules," Carr posted, underscoring what many conservatives see as a long-standing double standard in how liberal media outlets portray themselves.
Hostins comments came during a panel discussion over whether Platner, who has faced mounting pressure from within his own party over allegations he denies, should withdraw from the race to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine. Casting the contest in apocalyptic terms, Hostin declared, "Were in an existential crisis. We need to flip the Senate," making clear that the conversation was less about neutral analysis and more about advancing Democratic electoral strategy.
Hostin insisted that Maine remains a prime pickup opportunity for Democrats and argued that the party must quickly rally around a more viable candidate if Platner exits the race. "I do believe that Susan Collins is beatable. And I think once they just have the right candidate with all the appropriate information, the Democrats really could take that seat and thats a very important seat," Hostin said, framing the seat as a crucial piece of a broader effort to secure a liberal majority.
She further argued that Platner should be completely sidelined from any decision about who might replace him on the ballot, signaling a desire to keep control firmly in party hands. "No, he cant have any say in his replacement. I agree with you. I think thats ridiculous, and I think its clear that he has to step down," Hostin said, reflecting a top-down approach to candidate selection that often troubles advocates of grassroots democracy.
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin, who served as communications director in the Trump White House, criticized Democrats for bungling a race that party strategists have long viewed as central to their hopes of retaking the Senate. "Im just struck by how bad Dems botched it. It always ran through Maine. That was always going to be an important pickup seat," Farah Griffin said, adding, "They had six years to recruit against Susan Collins and vet somebody and look into the tattoos that they might have."
Sara Haines echoed the call for Platner to step aside, arguing that someone deemed unfit for office should not be trusted to shape the field of potential successors. "I think he should get out, because I dont think... if hes not qualified for the job, hes not qualified to pick his successor," Haines said, reinforcing the panels consensus that Platner has become a liability for Democrats.
Joy Behar, known for her caustic commentary, was even more scathing as the panel revisited the controversy surrounding Platners alleged Nazi-style tattoo. "Look, they knew that he had this so-called Nazi tattoo on him. They knew that, and he claims he didnt know... if I had a third nipple, I know its there, okay? This is the dumbest... Ive never heard anything so stupid. Based on that, he should get out and shut up," Behar said, offering a blunt assessment that underscored the partys vetting failures.
Whoopi Goldberg used the episode to argue that both parties must do a better job scrutinizing candidates before asking voters to support them, a point conservatives have long made about lax standards in modern politics. "People need to vet the people who are coming out," Goldberg said. "Can't we get somebody who has nothing?"
Behind the on-air drama lies a significant regulatory fight with implications for how partisan talk shows are treated under federal law. The FCCs Media Bureau disclosed in May that KTRK-TV and ABC had petitioned the agency to declare that "The View" qualifies as a bona fide news interview program and is therefore exempt from equal opportunities rules designed to prevent broadcasters from "unfairly putting their thumbs on the scale" for particular candidates.
ABC, in a filing made public Tuesday, argued that the FCC already settled the matter in 2002 and warned that renewed scrutiny threatens the networks editorial independence. The network insisted that "The First Amendment does not permit the government to sit in an editors chair," according to the Associated Press, while an FCC spokesperson countered to the AP that ABC should focus on "complying with its public interest obligations, rather than misleading the public about them."
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