Colbert-Talarico interview being investigated by Democrats after FCC dust-up

Amid controversy over "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert’s claim that he was barred from airing his interview with Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico last week, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., opened an official inquiry into CBS’ parent company, Paramount, on Monday requesting "all records" related to the decision.

Talarico's interview on "The Late Show" last week sparked controversy after Colbert accused CBS of blocking the interview amid what he described as the FCC's crackdown on the longstanding candidate equal time rule.

CBS denied Colbert's claim, telling Fox News Digital last week, "THE LATE SHOW was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Rep. James Talarico."

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In a letter to Paramount CEO David Ellison, exclusively published by Status, Blumenthal — the ranking member of the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) — demanded all documentation and communications related to the company's decision not to air Colbert's interview with Talarico.

The senator argued that Paramount's decision "raises the alarming prospect" that the company is "willing to silence free speech" in hopes of currying favor with the Trump administration.

"I write regarding Paramount’s apparent willingness to censor critical news and satire at the behest of the President, particularly as it is attempting to acquire Warner Bros. in part by promoting its close ties to the White House," the letter reads. 

"Paramount’s acquiescence to political pressure from Federal Communications Commission ('FCC') Chair Brendan Carr, preventing Stephen Colbert from airing an interview with Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico, raises the alarming prospect that Paramount is willing to silence free speech to elicit political favors from the Trump Administration," Blumenthal continues. 

"I therefore write to request records and information related to Paramount’s communications with the FCC and the White House, and its interventions into the editorial decisions of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," the letter added.

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Blumenthal claimed that the "longstanding exception" to the equal time rule for "news interviews" has allowed shows like Colbert's "to interview candidates without equal time for several decades." 

Despite this apparent exception, the Senator contended that "CBS apparently abruptly chose to use the FCC announcement to pressure or require Mr. Colbert to stop the broadcast of the interview."

"FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s announcement clearly seeks to insert the FCC into broadcasters’ editorial decisions by declaring that it will enforce the equal time rule over what it deems as programming ‘motivated by partisan purposes,’ targeting what the Chair Carr labeled ‘the fake news,’" Blumenthal wrote. 

"As FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez stated, while the legality of the guidance is questionable, ‘it does represent an escalation in this FCC’s ongoing campaign to censor and control speech,’ a position taken by other experts in FCC law," he added.

The FCC announced in late January it was providing guidance to broadcast networks to adhere to the "statutory equal opportunities requirement," citing the Communications Act of 1934, "including their airing of late night and daytime talk shows."

Blumenthal argued that the FCC's "distortion of the equal time rule" represented a "radical departure from Congressional intent and decades of rulings from Democrat and Republican-led Commissions," including rulings that found Phil Donahue, Jerry Springer, Howard Stern and Jay Leno "were exempt."

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Later on in the letter, the senator questioned why Paramount decided to "preemptively comply, rather than stand up for the First Amendment and challenge any attempted enforcement," demanding records of communications between the company and the FCC, including "any attempts" to obey the rule.

When reached for comment by Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for Paramount replied with the following statement: "We have received the letter and are reviewing it carefully. We appreciate and respect the Senator's interest in this issue." 

"As CBS noted before: ‘THE LATE SHOW was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Rep. James Talarico. The show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled. THE LATE SHOW decided to present the interview through its YouTube channel with on-air promotion on the broadcast rather than potentially providing the equal-time options,’" it added. 

Fox News Digital's Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.