The White House denied having exerted any pressure on the ABC chain To suspend the comedian program Jimmy Kimmelafter his controversial comments about the murder of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The Presidential spokesmanKaroline Leavitt, said in an interview with Fox News that the decision was taken exclusively by the executives of the television chain, and that not even the president Donald Trump nor did his team influence the extent.
“The decision to fire Jimmy Kimmel and cancel his program was taken by ABC executives, as reported, and I can assure you that it was not a decision of the White House. The president of the United States did not exert any pressure,” Leavitt said in the interview.
The spokeswoman added that she was with Trump in full State visit to the United Kingdom When the news was known, and that it was herself who informed her of the suspension of the program, since the president “did not know what was happening.”
What did Jimmy Kimmel say about Charlie Kirk?
In his monologue from Monday night, Kimmel referred to the case of Charlie Kirk’s murderstating that the most extremist sectors of the Maga Movement tried to uncheck the alleged murderer, Tyler Robinson, to avoid damaging his public image.
“The Maga gang desperately tried to call this boy who murdered Charlie Kirk of anything but one of them, and doing everything possible to get political revenue, ”said Kimmel.
These statements generated a wave of criticism by conservative leaders and media figures.
Two days later, ABC announced the Indefinite suspension of the night program, one of the most popular on American television.
Government intervention or editorial decision?
Although the White House insists that it did not intervene, the debate intensified after the president of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)Brendan Carr would suggest that the government could take measures against ABC affiliated stations They transmit the program.
Leavitt, however, was emphatic: “It was an ABC decision, because Jimmy Kimmel deliberately lied to his audience about the death of a very respected manat a time when the country was mourning. While the president agreed with this decision, we had nothing to do. ”
Criticism from the Republican party itself
Despite the official position, some Republicans have raised their voice against what they consider a worrying censorship and a dangerous precedent.
The Republican Senator Ted Cruz described Carr’s actions as “Dangerous like hell”warning that they could become against conservatives if a future Democratic administration decides to take similar measures.
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