Democrats question FCC commissioner’s role in Project 2025

More than a dozen House Democrats sent a letter to the inspector general of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Wednesday, questioning Commissioner Brendan Carr’s role in helping craft Project 2025, a conservative policy document.

The letter, led by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), claims Carr violated ethics rules and may have misused his office.

Project 2025 is a Heritage Foundation document outlining policy initiatives for a second Trump administration, and included multiple contributors and backers close to former President Trump. Trump has personally distanced himself from the project, though Democrats have consistently hit the former president for his ties to its authors.

“Given the close ties between Project 2025, Trump, and his re-election campaign, it is deeply troubling that Commissioner Carr would use his official title and position to author part of the political playbook for a Republican presidential candidate,” the lawmakers wrote. “This potential misuse of title raises serious questions about Commissioner Carr’s commitment to keeping his private political activities separate from his official duties.” 

Carr, a Trump appointee, is listed as a contributor to the project in a section focused on reforms to the FCC. Specifically, the section advocates for the overturn of Section 230, a rule that protects websites from lawsuits related to user-generated content.

The letter also requests an investigation into Carr’s actions as a potential violation of the Hatch Act, which bars executive branch employees from engaging in political activity.

The letter was also signed by Democratic Reps. Ted Lieu (Calif.), Hank Johnson (Ga.), Dan Goldman (N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Sean Casten (Ill.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), Jasmine Crockett (Texas), Barbara Lee (Calif.), Delia Ramirez (Ill.), Nanette Barragán (Calif.), Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.), Jennifer McClellan (Va.), Judy Chu (Calif.) and Jamie Raskin (Md.).

Carr said in a statement to The Hill that he cleared his work on the project with the FCC’s ethics office before participating.

“The FCC’s career ethics official approved of me participating in my personal capacity, which I did. And I made clear to Heritage that I would only be participating in my personal capacity,” Carr said. “As to my title, the FCC’s career ethics official said that I could include my current position in any bio I supplied to Heritage along with other biographical details, and that is what I did.”

Updated at 2:51 p.m. EDT