House Dems ask FCC to investigate Russian news outlet

House Democrats are asking the Federal Communications Commission to investigate whether a Russian news network’s U.S. broadcasts are violating the law.

Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) sent a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Monday asking him to look into whether the Sputnik radio news show is violating the public interest standard of its broadcast license.

“In Washington, D.C., listeners need only tune their radios to 105.5 FM to hear the Russian government’s effort to influence U.S. policy,” the members wrote. “Disturbingly, this means the Kremlin’s propaganda messages are being broadcast over a license granted by the FCC.”

An FCC spokesman declined to comment.

{mosads}The letter cited a New York Times Magazine story from last week that detailed the U.S. operations of Russian-owned news outlets like RT and Sputnik.

The three Democrats said that the report suggested Sputnik had been using the airwaves to broadcast programming to try and influence the presidential election and insisted that the broadcaster should be investigated for airing propaganda in the U.S.

“If Sputnik is in fact being used as a tool by the Russian government to undermine the United States and our free and fair electoral process, the station airing Sputnik is directly violating the public interest standard of the Communications Act,” the letter reads.

– Updated to clarify that Sputnik radio was operating during the election. Sputnik’s D.C. station launched in July.