CNN anchor Jake Tapper called ABC’s decision to suspend comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show a “direct” violation of the First Amendment, accusing the broadcaster of stifling speech critical of President Trump and his allies.
“If we do not have the ability to criticize, mock, investigate our leaders, we are no longer the United States of America,” Tapper said while appearing on “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert, which has also been canceled in a move cheered by Trump.
Later during his appearance, the CNN anchor warned that “once a standard is eroded, it doesn’t come back.”
“It’s a very chilled atmosphere,” Tapper said of the mood in Washington, D.C. “We all have to keep our head down, focus on the job and report the news and be fair, honest, and truthful. And that job has not stopped.”
Disney’s decision to sideline Kimmel, Tapper said, is an indication “that the money has an impact. The money is causing people to focus only on that and not the important parts of this American experiment.”
Kimmel was indefinitely suspended Wednesday following comments he made Monday about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, accusing conservatives of trying to score “political points” off his killing and mocking Trump for mourning his loss “like a 4-year-old mourns the death of a goldfish.”
The comedian’s comments were met with swift backlash on the right, including from Trump’s chair of the Federal Communications Commission, who called for the host to be punished over the remarks prior to the suspension being handed down.
