Ex-CNN host Jim Acosta went scorched earth on Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr on Wednesday, even challenging him to a fight for what he’s done “to the free press in this country” and for celebrating the exodus of numerous television personalities from their networks.
“For Brendan Carr to swan around like, ‘Hey, look at me, I’m this big, bad tough guy.’ You know, put us in the ring together — put us in the ring together,” Acosta said during his appearance on “The Dean Obeidallah Show” on Wednesday. “I’ll put on some boxing gloves.”
Acosta delivered both his challenge and a blistering takedown of Carr after Obeidallah played a clip of Carr praising President Donald Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference last Thursday for taking on “the fake news media” and “winning.”
“PBS, defunded. NPR, defunded. Joy Reid, gone from MSNBC. Sleepy-eyed Chuck Todd, gone. Jim Acosta, gone. John Dickerson, gone,” Carr said. ”[Stephen] Colbert is leaving, CBS is under new ownership, and soon enough, CNN is going to have new ownership as well.”
Acosta pulled no punches in his reply.
“I think Brendan Carr is a scumbag, and I have the God-given American right under the First Amendment to tell him that,” the independent journalist told Obeidallah.
“Brendan Carr, if you’re watching this, if this clip makes the rounds, you are a scumbag,” Acosta continued. “What you’re doing to the American people, what you’re doing to the free press in this country is disgraceful, and you are a disgraceful human being. And I suspect years from now, your children will be ashamed of you, if you have any.”
Representatives for Carr did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
Carr was accused last year of pressuring ABC, Disney and the companies that control local TV stations into pulling Jimmy Kimmel off the air. He denied doing so, but recently warned “the fake news” not to run “hoaxes” because their FCC license renewals were approaching.
On Wednesday, Acosta also said the biggest “untold story” would be a potential paper trail showing Trump himself or his closest aides contacting the networks to force the removal of the aforementioned TV personalities.
Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press
He also questioned Carr’s expectation of being viewed as “any kind of reliable, independent” FCC head while simultaneously attending CPAC and gloating about the state of America’s media landscape.
“He’s obviously just a hack and a shameful one at that,” Acosta said.
“Because what he’s done is do real damage to the freedom of the press in this country,” he continued. “And it seems to me the only way we’re going to get this back is if the FCC is … made an independent agency again.”
