House Oversight DOGE Subcommittee Chairwoman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) eviscerated the CEO of National Public Radio (NPR) on Wednesday during a hearing into defunding propagandist sites NPR and PBS. If Democrats want to keep funding them, let the DNC fund them. MTG put forth the possibility of prison time for possible violations of the Communications Act.
Greene called out the far-left former Wikipedia CEO and current NPR CEO, Katherine Maher, for her statements including calling President Trump a “deranged racist sociopath” and accusing Americans of being “addicted to White supremacy” while defending far-left fact-checkers.
MTG said:
VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL“I remind you you’re under oath, and violations of the Communications Act come with a fine up to $10,000, possibly up to a year in prison.”
She also called out PBS CEO Paula Kerger as she inquired into both organizations’ potential airing of commercials for for-profit entities. Greene further called Kerger out for using taxpayer dollars to fund radical left documentaries about transgender teens, transitioning, and one film titled “Racist Trees.”
Greene: Ms. Maher, your public statements and social media posts reflect left-wing ideology and blatant opposition to free speech. After all, you were the head of Wikipedia for many years, which is a platform that doesn’t tell the truth. Let’s walk through some of the public— some of your statements, so the public can understand your personal views. Your fellow Americans— you said, your fellow Americans just “elected” Donald Trump as president again this past November. You called him a “deranged racist” and “sociopath.” You posted on X that America is addicted to white supremacy. That’s appalling. You’ve publicly chastised using the phrase boy and girl, which you said erases the language for non-binary people. There’s only two genders, by the way.
Ms. Maher the federal funding that your outlet received comes from all American taxpayer dollars, not just from your viewers who support such statements as these. Let me inform you and that your federal funding is also paid for by the other half of the country, the 77 million Americans who voted for President Trump, someone you called a “deranged racist sociopath.” Ms. Maher, many find your pro-censorship and anti-free speech views more concerning than your politics. The only speech you like seems to be speech that you agree with. In 2021, you called the First Amendment the number one challenge in American journalism because it makes it hard to crack down on bad information. You said in a TED Talk that our reverence for the truth might be a distraction. You’ve also expressed support for deplatforming individuals you view as fascist. Who do you think should be charged with cracking down on so-called bad information? Is it NPR? Is it the government? Is it you Ms. Maher?
Is it up to you and NPR to crack down on bad information or decide the truth? Answer the question, yes or no, Ms. Maher?
Maher: Absolutely not. I’m a very strong believer in free speech, and I believe…
Greene: Your public statements say otherwise. Ms. Maher in 2021 when speaking at an Atlantic Council event, you said that when you were CEO of Wikipedia, you took a very active approach to disinformation and misinformation. During the COVID pandemic and the 2020 election, you said you censored information through conversations with government. Which governments were those, Ms. Maher, the Biden administration? Yes or No?
Maher: MadamChairman, we have never censored any information.
Greene: These are your public statements, Ms. Maher. Are you familiar with section 399b of the Communications Act? It prohibits noncommercial education broadcast stations, NCEs, from airing commercials on behalf of for-profit entities. The FCC recently opened an investigation into the underwriting announcements and related policies of NPR and PBS. Does NPR air commercials for for profit entities, Ms Maher, yes or no?
Maher: We are in full compliance with the FCC’s inquiry, and we’ll continue to cooperate.
Greene: I remind you you’re under oath, and violations of the Communications Act come with a fine up to $10,000, possibly up to a year in prison. Does PBS air for-profit commercials, Ms. Kerger?
Kerger: We are underwriting announcements, and we believe we are in full compliance with the FCC, and we look forward to delivering material required in part of this investigation.
Greene: We look forward to that too. I’m assuming you’re concerned, both of you are concerned about this, and that’s why you brought so many attorneys with you today. Ms Kerger, using taxpayer subsidies, PBS funded independent lens to make documentaries for part of your programming. In 2016, “Real Boy” was aired about a trans teen navigating adolescent sobriety and the ramification of his gender identity. In 2022, the same series aired “Our League,” in which a trans woman comes to her old-school Ohio bowling league, and story about transition. Then in 2024, “Racist Trees” was aired, telling a story of how, in Palm Springs, a black neighborhood fights to remove a divisive wall of trees. Do you think PBS needs to fund ridiculous materials such as this that the taxpayers are having to pay for.
