Disney Finally Finds a Spine and Sues Trump Over Censorship

Brandon Bell / via REUTERS Disney has finally decided to defend its ABC television shows, filing a federal lawsuit against the MAGA-ified Federal Communications Commission for an attempt to challenge the broadcast licenses of its shows.

The media company filed its suit with the U.S.

District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday, alleging that Trump’s administration has “waged a retaliatory campaign against ABC for a single reason: it disapproves of what ABC broadcasts.” “Again and again, the Administration has attacked ABC’s speech—the stories its journalists report and the viewpoints its network programs air.

Over time, those attacks have escalated into express demands that ABC be stripped of its broadcast licenses because of its speech,” reads the suit, according to the Wall Street Journal .

The suit argues that the FCC has violated ABC’s First Amendment rights, pointing to FCC chairman and Trump loyalist Brendan Carr’s regular comments about the network’s programming and editorial decisions.

One such remark was Carr’s warning to ABC last September when the network’s star Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

At the time, Carr said on a podcast, “we can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Kimmel’s show was indefinitely suspended that month, sending shockwaves through the industry and urgent concerns over the Trump administration’s attacks on free speech .

Even after being restored to air, the hits against Kimmel’s show at the hands of the Trump administration–and the president himself –have continued, which Disney’s suit points out.

ABC is now seeking an injunction, asking the court for a temporary restraining order to stop Trump’s FCC from beginning its early proceedings to look into the license renewals of eight stations.

The call came after Kimmel made a joke about the president and the first lady, sparking calls from the couple to have Kimmel fired.

Following the backlash, it was reported that the FCC would move forward with a review of Disney’s broadcasting licenses.

The lawsuit says the Carr-led challenge to ABC stations could go in extreme directions .

BRENDAN CARR ON DISNEY’S LICENSE: “There’s lots of options.

You have a license.