ABC swipes at Brendan Carr over free speech 'assault' in license applications: report

While applying to renew its licenses, ABC dug into a Trump official for his "assault" on speech and TV stations, per a new report.

ABC filed applications for eight TV stations and blasted an order by Brendan Carr, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to begin an early license renewal process for ABC, according to reporting by Politico.

"The Order is inconsistent with a legitimate exercise of investigative authority and is plainly incompatible with the First Amendment," one of the eight applications read.

The ABC network, which is owned by Disney, airs "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," which has attracted the White House's ire several times. The network argued that Carr's order makes its license vulnerable while the federal government looks for a reason to keep ABC silent, according to Politico.

"Worse, the Order opens the door to an assault on the Station's license, while the Commission searches for a legal pretext to achieve its desired goal," the application read. "This effort to suppress speech under the guise of bureaucratic process must not prevail."