Disney cites Trump threats to reporters in bid to block FCC license reviews

WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Disney said on Thursday that President Donald Trump's continuing threats against reporters and broadcast networks give a U.S. judge grounds to block the Federal Communications Commission from reviewing its eight ABC station licenses early.

In a court filing, Disney and ABC said FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has made clear that he is carrying out Trump's specific directives "aimed at curbing speech critical of the administration."

Disney added that Carr's implementation of those directives was improper, but understandable, because Trump has determined that if the chairman is "insufficiently responsive to his directives, the president could fire the chairman at will."

The White House and Carr did not immediately comment.

Trump has repeatedly urged broadcasters to drop comedy or news programs he dislikes, or that have joked about or criticized him or his administration. He has also called on the FCC to strip stations of their licenses after criticizing news and other programming.

Carr ordered the early reviews in April, even though the ABC stations' license renewals were not scheduled to be considered before October 2028. Before April, the FCC had not ordered an early review in more than 50 years.

The reviews were ordered one day after Trump urged ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.

Disney cited recent threats Trump has made against journalists at NBC, including "Meet the Press" anchor Kristen Welker, and against an ABC White House reporter on September 11 who asked about potential $5,000 stimulus checks, telling the reporter: "You’re the worst."

On August 30, Trump said Welker would be reported to the FCC for "rebuke or punishment" after she noted that the Republican president's success in endorsing political candidates has been mixed.

Disney noted that after Trump's threat, Carr warned the commission could soon issue guidance to broadcast television networks over what he called "fake polls."

On Wednesday, Carr declined to answer whether he planned to take action against Welker, even though legal experts say her comments were protected by the First Amendment, and did not say whether he would issue polling guidance.

Disney said Carr is following Trump's "retaliatory directives and using early license renewals to punish broadcasters for disfavored speech."

Broadcast stations need FCC licenses to use public airwaves. While license revocations are extremely rare, critics say threats of losing a license can pressure broadcasters and raise concerns about government interference in programming decisions.