Biden FCC nominee previously described Fox News as 'state-sponsored propaganda'

Gigi Sohn, who has been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as a commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), previously referred to Fox News as "state-sponsored propaganda" and said that the outlet has had a detrimental impact on American democracy.

"For all my concerns about #Facebook, I believe that Fox News has had the most negative impact on our democracy. It's state-sponsored propaganda, with few if any opposing viewpoints. Where's the hearing about that?" she tweeted in October 2020.

When GOP Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri asked Sohn whether she is biased against Fox News, Sohn emphasized that past comments she made about the outlet came in the context of hearings as well as media reports.

Sohn said that her "opinions as a public interest advocate will have no bearing on how I behave as a policymaker," in the event that she is confirmed as commissioner of the FCC.

Blunt Questions FCC Nominee Gigi Sohn About Fox News Tweets, Locast Lawsuitwww.youtube.com

She told Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas that her tweets about Fox News were issued in the context of a hearing in which blame for misinformation was rightfully being attributed to Big Tech.

Sohn told Cruz that she has "also been critical of liberal stations as well."

She said that she spent years working with "conservative cable channels" in order "to get them carriage on cable systems when those systems would not carry them."

America News Network President Charles Herring has issued a statement in support of Sohn.

"I'm fully aware of Gigi's personal views, yet I'm even more knowledgable on her strong belief and advocacy for diversity in the programming lineup, especially in news, regardless of conflicts with her personal views," Herring said in the statement.

Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy has also backed the nomination: "While I don't always agree with the nominees on many policy matters, Newsmax fully supports the Commission's mandate to promote diversity, localism and competition in the marketplace," Ruddy said in a statement, according to Axios. "Newsmax believes both nominees are committed to that mandate."

Ted Cruz Confronts Biden FCC Nominee Over Her Anti-Fox News Tweetswww.youtube.com