Two days after Democrats won control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections, Sen. Richard Blumenthal renewed his demands for FCC records related to CBS’s cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and the network’s decision not to air Colbert’s interview with then-candidate James Talarico.
And this time, the Connecticut Democrat will soon have the power to compel the agency to cooperate.
Blumenthal, currently the ranking Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, is poised to become its chairman when Democrats take control of the chamber in January.
In a letter sent Thursday to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, Blumenthal renewed three previous requests for records concerning what he describe as the Trump administration’s attacks on freedom of speech and the press.
The requests include documents related to the FCC’s approval of the Paramount-Skydance merger in July 2025, just days after CBS announced it was canceling Colbert’s show, as well as the agency’s handling of the Equal Time rule, which CBS cited in its decision not to broadcast Colbert’s February 2026 interview with then-Texas Senate candidate Talarico.
“The FCC has failed to meaningfully respond to the Subcommittee’s requests and has not produced any records responsive to these requests,” Blumenthal wrote Thursday.
The senator is giving the agency until November 30 to begin producing documents, with additional records to follow on an agreed-upon schedule.
“Please also note that failure to voluntarily produce the requested records and information by January 4, 2027, will leave the Subcommittee with no choice but to consider alternative measures to obtain compliance,” he warned.
It’s not the first time Blumenthal has given the FCC a deadline. His July 29, 2025, letter demanded answers by August 12, while his February 23, 2026, inquiry set a March 6 deadline.
What’s changed is the balance of power in Washington.
With Democrats set to take control of the Senate in January, Blumenthal is positioned to pursue the investigations as subcommittee chairman, potentially using subpoena power to obtain records the FCC has so far declined to produce.
The senator’s July 2025 letter raised questions about the timing of the FCC’s approval of the Paramount-Skydance merger, which came one week after CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show and weeks after Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle President Trump’s lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris.
Blumenthal demanded records detailing the FCC’s negotiations with Paramount and Skydance, including any discussions involving “editorial control, changes to content and programming,” and the political viewpoints expressed in CBS programming.
He also cited Carr’s public comments following the cancellation and questioned what commitments Skydance had made to the FCC concerning changes at CBS.
The senator returned to Colbert in February, after the Late Show host revealed that CBS management had prevented him from broadcasting an interview with Talarico, citing guidance from Carr’s FCC concerning the Equal Time rule.
In separate letters to the FCC and Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, Blumenthal demanded records and explanations concerning the decision, accusing Carr of attempting to justify a “partisan censorship scheme” through a legally questionable interpretation of the rule.
CBS had directed Colbert’s show to comply with the FCC guidance rather than challenge it, prompting Blumenthal to question whether Paramount was suppressing speech to secure political favor.
Colbert’s Talarico interview ultimately streamed on YouTube, where it drew record views and significantly raised the Texas Democrat’s national profile. He went on to defeat his challengers in both the primary and the general election, marking the first time a Democrat has won a US Senate seat in Texas since 1988.
Read Blumenthal’s new letter to Chairman Carr below:
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This is why nothing will get accomplished. it is not up to the government to tell a television network how to run their business.