{"id":161202,"date":"2026-08-21T15:40:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T23:40:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/08\/21\/foia-docs-show-brendan-carr-intimately-collaborated-with-white-house-right-wing-propaganda-orgs\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T15:40:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T23:40:07","slug":"foia-docs-show-brendan-carr-intimately-collaborated-with-white-house-right-wing-propaganda-orgs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/08\/21\/foia-docs-show-brendan-carr-intimately-collaborated-with-white-house-right-wing-propaganda-orgs\/","title":{"rendered":"FOIA Docs Show Brendan Carr Intimately Collaborated With White House, Right-Wing Propaganda Orgs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back in 2014 you might remember there was a giant, two-year, manufactured news cycle where Republicans\u00a0pretended to be outraged<\/a>\u00a0that the then Obama White House had openly supported the FCC\u2019s efforts to impose some modest net neutrality rules (designed to protect consumers and competition from telecom monopoly abuse of power).<\/p>\n

At the time, major press outlets\u00a0endlessly parroted Republican claims<\/a>\u00a0that the president\u2019s perfectly legal public support of FCC policy was somehow underhanded, illegal, or\u00a0applied undue pressure on an independent agency<\/em>. Right wing friendly \u201cthink tanks\u201d like the Hudson Institute suffered\u00a0endless embolisms<\/a>\u00a0over the purported impropriety:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe\u00a0unwelcome assault on the independence of the FCC is a threat<\/strong>\u00a0not merely to that agency. It is a threat to our entire system of government based on the rule of law. It is also a threat to the Internet. Where there is no rule of law, the Internet does not flourish.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Republican Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs even launched a two-year investigation culminating in a\u00a0bogus report<\/a>\u00a0falsely claiming that there had been all sorts of nefarious intermingling between the White House and FCC. Republicans, I\u2019ll repeat,\u00a0were absolutely outraged<\/strong>\u00a0that the White House would even open its mouth to\u00a0comment<\/em>\u00a0on policy the agency was already pursuing.<\/p>\n

Twelve years later and not only is\u00a0net neutrality dead as a doornail<\/a>\u00a0thanks to corrupt collaboration between Republicans and telecom monopolies, but the FCC has taken up permanent residence inside the White House\u2019s colon, making any claim of FCC independence laughable under Trumpism.<\/p>\n

Or at least that\u2019s the takeaway of this new\u00a0report by the\u00a0Guardian<\/em><\/a>, which obtained documents via a Freedom of Information Act request and a lawsuit\u00a0filed<\/a>\u00a0by the advocacy group Democracy Forward.<\/p>\n

The documents show FCC boss Brendan Carr has had deep and intimate collaboration with both the White House and right wing propaganda companies as he\u2019s pursued policies ranging from\u00a0blatant censorship of of journalism and the media<\/a>, to efforts to dismantle (at times illegally) consumer protections,\u00a0media consolidation limits<\/a>, and\u00a0most corporate oversight<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cBetween 12 March 2025 and 11 February 2026, Carr attended at least eight meetings at the White House, according to the records, and had at least three scheduled calls with administration officials, including two conversations with chief of staff Susie Wiles. He also spoke by phone with administration officials such as controversial health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.<\/em><\/p>\n

In addition, the files provide insight into Carr\u2019s media strategy, including communications with producers at Fox News, and make public previously undisclosed meetings he has held with media titans such as Fox Corp chief executive Lachlan Murdoch and Sinclair Broadcast Group chair David Smith.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That Carr is ignoring any pretense of agency independence, coordinating messaging with right wing agitprop factories like Fox News and Sinclair, and disproportionately meeting with right-wing friendly companies to their exclusive benefit shouldn\u2019t surprise anybody and isn\u2019t illegal (in a country with dead or dying corruption, lobbying, and influence-peddling laws), but it is a notable new high watermark for Republican hypocrisy. Twelve years ago, I\u2019ll repeat, Republicans (including Carr, who had previously worked as an attorney at the agency), insisted\u00a0the president even\u00a0opening his mouth<\/strong>\u00a0on policy was somehow illegal<\/em>\u00a0and an\u00a0outrageous erosion of FCC independence<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The FCC is, to be clear, supposed to be independent from White House influence and meaningfully overseen by Congress. Though you might recall that last year in congressional testimony Carr raised eyebrows by insisting the agency is no longer independent \u2014 even going so far as to\u00a0delete the word from the agency website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Having regulators that are marionettes for the whims of your autocratic leadership is obviously corrupt and anti-democratic. Now it\u2019s impossible to determine where Donald Trump\u2019s incoherent whims begin and the FCC\u2019s purported autonomy ends as Brendan Carr harasses media companies critical of the president, and strips away what\u2019s left of U.S. consumer protection guardrails down to the studs.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, I suspect the closest Carr will ever get to meaningful punishment is a revolving door gig at an AT&T-funded think tank where he whittles away the rest of his years getting paid high six figures to perpetuate the ongoing destruction of whatever\u2019s left of U.S. public interest guardrails.<\/p>\n

FOIA Docs Show Brendan Carr Intimately Collaborated With White House, Right Wing Propaganda Orgs<\/a><\/p>\n

More Law-Related Stories From Techdirt<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Trump FCC Weakens U.S. Broadband Speed Goals To The Benefit Of Elon Musk And Comcast<\/a>
ICE Says It Will Fit Every Officer With A Body Cam, Restrict Public Access To Recordings<\/a>
The EU Wanted A Deepfake Detector. It Got An AI Scarlet Letter.<\/a><\/p>\n

The post FOIA Docs Show Brendan Carr Intimately Collaborated With White House, Right-Wing Propaganda Orgs<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Back in 2014 you might remember there was a giant, two-year, manufactured news cycle where Republicans\u00a0pretended to be outraged<\/a>\u00a0that the then Obama White House had openly supported the FCC\u2019s efforts to impose some modest net neutrality rules (designed to protect consumers and competition from telecom monopoly abuse of power).<\/p>\n

At the time, major press outlets\u00a0endlessly parroted Republican claims<\/a>\u00a0that the president\u2019s perfectly legal public support of FCC policy was somehow underhanded, illegal, or\u00a0applied undue pressure on an independent agency<\/em>. Right wing friendly \u201cthink tanks\u201d like the Hudson Institute suffered\u00a0endless embolisms<\/a>\u00a0over the purported impropriety:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe\u00a0unwelcome assault on the independence of the FCC is a threat<\/strong>\u00a0not merely to that agency. It is a threat to our entire system of government based on the rule of law. It is also a threat to the Internet. Where there is no rule of law, the Internet does not flourish.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Republican Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs even launched a two-year investigation culminating in a\u00a0bogus report<\/a>\u00a0falsely claiming that there had been all sorts of nefarious intermingling between the White House and FCC. Republicans, I\u2019ll repeat,\u00a0were absolutely outraged<\/strong>\u00a0that the White House would even open its mouth to\u00a0comment<\/em>\u00a0on policy the agency was already pursuing.<\/p>\n

Twelve years later and not only is\u00a0net neutrality dead as a doornail<\/a>\u00a0thanks to corrupt collaboration between Republicans and telecom monopolies, but the FCC has taken up permanent residence inside the White House\u2019s colon, making any claim of FCC independence laughable under Trumpism.<\/p>\n

Or at least that\u2019s the takeaway of this new\u00a0report by the\u00a0Guardian<\/em><\/a>, which obtained documents via a Freedom of Information Act request and a lawsuit\u00a0filed<\/a>\u00a0by the advocacy group Democracy Forward.<\/p>\n

The documents show FCC boss Brendan Carr has had deep and intimate collaboration with both the White House and right wing propaganda companies as he\u2019s pursued policies ranging from\u00a0blatant censorship of of journalism and the media<\/a>, to efforts to dismantle (at times illegally) consumer protections,\u00a0media consolidation limits<\/a>, and\u00a0most corporate oversight<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cBetween 12 March 2025 and 11 February 2026, Carr attended at least eight meetings at the White House, according to the records, and had at least three scheduled calls with administration officials, including two conversations with chief of staff Susie Wiles. He also spoke by phone with administration officials such as controversial health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.<\/em><\/p>\n

In addition, the files provide insight into Carr\u2019s media strategy, including communications with producers at Fox News, and make public previously undisclosed meetings he has held with media titans such as Fox Corp chief executive Lachlan Murdoch and Sinclair Broadcast Group chair David Smith.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That Carr is ignoring any pretense of agency independence, coordinating messaging with right wing agitprop factories like Fox News and Sinclair, and disproportionately meeting with right-wing friendly companies to their exclusive benefit shouldn\u2019t surprise anybody and isn\u2019t illegal (in a country with dead or dying corruption, lobbying, and influence-peddling laws), but it is a notable new high watermark for Republican hypocrisy. Twelve years ago, I\u2019ll repeat, Republicans (including Carr, who had previously worked as an attorney at the agency), insisted\u00a0the president even\u00a0opening his mouth<\/strong>\u00a0on policy was somehow illegal<\/em>\u00a0and an\u00a0outrageous erosion of FCC independence<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The FCC is, to be clear, supposed to be independent from White House influence and meaningfully overseen by Congress. Though you might recall that last year in congressional testimony Carr raised eyebrows by insisting the agency is no longer independent \u2014 even going so far as to\u00a0delete the word from the agency website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Having regulators that are marionettes for the whims of your autocratic leadership is obviously corrupt and anti-democratic. Now it\u2019s impossible to determine where Donald Trump\u2019s incoherent whims begin and the FCC\u2019s purported autonomy ends as Brendan Carr harasses media companies critical of the president, and strips away what\u2019s left of U.S. consumer protection guardrails down to the studs.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, I suspect the closest Carr will ever get to meaningful punishment is a revolving door gig at an AT&T-funded think tank where he whittles away the rest of his years getting paid high six figures to perpetuate the ongoing destruction of whatever\u2019s left of U.S. public interest guardrails.<\/p>\n

FOIA Docs Show Brendan Carr Intimately Collaborated With White House, Right Wing Propaganda Orgs<\/a><\/p>\n

More Law-Related Stories From Techdirt<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Trump FCC Weakens U.S. Broadband Speed Goals To The Benefit Of Elon Musk And Comcast<\/a>
ICE Says It Will Fit Every Officer With A Body Cam, Restrict Public Access To Recordings<\/a>
The EU Wanted A Deepfake Detector. It Got An AI Scarlet Letter.<\/a><\/p>\n

The post FOIA Docs Show Brendan Carr Intimately Collaborated With White House, Right-Wing Propaganda Orgs<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Back in 2014 you might remember there was a giant, two-year, manufactured news cycle where Republicans\u00a0pretended to be outraged\u00a0that the then Obama White House had openly supported the FCC\u2019s efforts to impose some modest net neutrality rules (designed to protect consumers and competition from telecom monopoly abuse of power). At the time, major press outlets\u00a0endlessly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-161202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161202\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}