The House Oversight and Accountability Committee opened an inquiry Thursday into the Federal Communications Commission’s expedited approval of a deal that would give Democrat megadonor George Soros a large stake in more than 200 U.S. radio stations, alleging the body was in an effort to “interfere in the 2024 election and politicize” a body that is supposed to be independent.
The investigation announced by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., came after FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr disclosed last week to Congress that the Commission’s review of a Soros-backed purchase of Audacy stations was taking a “shortcut” around its normal procedures for reviewing station deals that could result in a significant foreign stake or control.
“The FCC appears to be bypassing standard processes and procedures in an unprecedented way to benefit a Democrat megadonor acquiring a major equity stake in hundreds of local radio stations across the country,” the lawmakers wrote.
The committee described Soros as a “financier of organizations advocating for speech restrictions and censorship of conservatives online” and said a group he was involved with was attempting to purchase $415 million in debt in a Chapter 11 reorganization of Audacy, Inc., which owns over 200 radio stations.
“By all appearances, the FCC majority isn’t just expediting, but is bypassing an established process to do a favor for George Soros and facilitate his influence over hundreds of radio stations before the November election,” Comer and Langworthy wrote.
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