Expert taken aback as CNN panel exposes 'pretext' Trump's FCC is using to stymie speech

A legal expert on Tuesday exposed the "pretext" President Donald Trump's Federal Communications Commission is using in its latest bid to stymie free speech.

Elie Honig, a former federal prosecutor, discussed the FCC's investigation into Disney's DEI policies during a panel discussion on CNN's "NewsNight" with host Abby Phillip. He argued that the way the panel discussed the investigation revealed something more nefarious at play.

"The way we're talking about this atthis table, all of us, exposesthat this is a pretext piledatop another pretext," Honig said. "We allknow this is not about DEIpolicies. We're not even reallytalking about it this way. Weknow it's about the content ofspeech. We know it's about thejokes Jimmy Kimmel made. We knowit's about the kind of thingsthat he says. That's what'sprompting all of this."

Trump's FCC reportedly ramped up its investigation into Disney after late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about first lady Melania Trump that she and the president did not like.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr lobbed a not-so-subtle threat at Disney during a podcast interview on Tuesday, saying the agency has the power to revoke the broadcaster's license before its expiration date, and put the company through a laborious process to get it back.