FCC Chair Carr's Close White House Ties Revealed in Documents
FOIA records show Brendan Carr held at least eight White House meetings and multiple calls with top officials, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
A trove of FCC documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and lawsuit filed by the advocacy group Democracy Forward reveals the close working relationship between FCC Chair Brendan Carr and the Trump administration, according to records provided to the Guardian.
Between March 12, 2025, and February 11, 2026, Carr attended at least eight meetings at the White House and had at least three scheduled calls with administration officials, including two conversations with Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. He also spoke by phone with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The records also detail Carr's media strategy, including communications with Fox News producers and previously undisclosed meetings with Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Sinclair Broadcast Group Chair David Smith.
"These records show a remarkable breadth of access to FCC leadership for this administration's political allies, conservative media figures, and powerful industry interests, including companies and organizations with business before the commission," said Dan McGrath, special counsel for oversight at Democracy Forward. "This raises serious questions about whether the FCC is operating as an independent regulator, or whether political relationships and industry influence have become too intertwined with its decision-making."
Calendar entries show meeting topics including "FAA/Spectrum issues" and a "Drones – Principals meeting," though some entries, like a June 2, 2025 "WH mtg," gave no further detail.
Carr has denied the FCC is fully "independent" since the president can remove commissioners at any time. ABC cited Carr's "repeated public statements confirming his allegiance to the president and the president's agenda" in a lawsuit filed Tuesday challenging the FCC's early license renewal order.
Former FCC Chair Tom Wheeler, who served under President Obama, called the meeting logs "very interesting" but said, "I don't think it's terribly unusual."
Records also show Carr met in June 2025 with former Rep. Matt Gaetz, now a host at One America News, with OAN President Charles Herring listed as an optional attendee. Carr also met with Justice Department antitrust official Omeed Assefi in February, with no reason given despite regulatory overlap between the two agencies on media mergers.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.
