Raskin: Trump still thinks he’s got the power to appoint comedians

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) says despite ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s return to the airwaves, President Trump still believes he can “appoint” the country’s comedians.

“ABC heard from millions and millions of people out there who do not want to accept government dictated censorship of their late-night talk show hosts,” Raskin said in an interview with CNN’s Pamela Brown on Monday. “The free speech battle is not over.”

He added, “Obviously, Donald Trump still thinks he’s got the power to anoint and appoint comedians in the country in private media broadcasts.”

Raskin’s comments came shortly after The Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, announced “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would return on Tuesday.

Kimmel — an outspoken and frequent critic of Trump — had been sidelined “indefinitely” by the network after saying last week that conservatives were trying to score “political points” off the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. He also said that Trump was grieving the Turning Point USA co-founder’s death “the way a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish.”

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr condemned Kimmel’s remarks, suggesting the late-night host should be punished by ABC. 

The network’s decision to take Kimmel off the air — which was celebrated as “great news for America” by Trump — came shortly after Nexstar Media Group, which owns The Hill, said it would preempt broadcasts of the comedian’s show on its ABC affiliates.

In his CNN interview, Raskin hailed Kimmel’s return, which had prompted a broader free speech debate and criticism of Carr from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

“At least ABC is on the right side,” Raskin said, “and [Kimmel’s] got his employer with him, as well as so much of the public.”