Ted Lieu

LOADINGERROR LOADING

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) posted and deleted a scathing criticism of ABC after late-night host Jimmy Kimmel announced his show would not be airing an interview with Senate candidate James Talarico amid threats from the Federal Communications Commission.

During his Wednesday monologue on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” the host told viewers he would not be broadcasting his sit-down with the Texas Democrat but would post it on YouTube “out of consideration for our local stations” that would have to “deal with this nonsense” from the FCC.

Advertisement

Lieu wasn’t interested in the excuses, with Mediaite reporting he took to X around 10:40 a.m. Pacific Time to say, “Dear @ABC @CBS and other networks: Grow a fucking spine.”

“Air whatever interviews with elected officials you want. You will win in court,” he went on. “Bending the knee to an authoritarian Administration only makes things worse. I assume you will now never air an interview of trump as well?”

Lieu offered another suggestion in a follow-up addressing FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s accusation that ABC had violated the “equal time rule,” which requires radio and television stations to give candidates running for the same office “equal access and equivalent airtime opportunities.”

Advertisement

“You know what else you can do @ABC and @CBS?” he posted at 10:55 a.m. “Offer Ken Paxton the opportunity to come onto late night talk shows where the hosts can legitimately skewer Paxton by asking him about all his scandals.

“But instead you groveled and chose the path of self censorship,” he scolded. “Shameful.”

While the congressman seemed certain about the ethics of ABC’s decision, his statements didn’t stay online long. Links to both messages were dead barely 20 minutes after his first post.

HuffPost has reached out to Lieu’s office for comment.