\n<\/p>\n
The Trump administration<\/span> is embracing an intimidation strategy to silence critical media coverage. Here\u2019s how it works: A federal agency launches a pretextual investigation into a perceived enemy, keeps the investigation open to coerce compliance, and resists any effort to have a court review the lawfulness of the agency\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no better example than the Federal Trade Commission\u2019s retaliatory investigation of Media Matters for America for its critical coverage of one of the Trump administration\u2019s most powerful allies.<\/p>\n Such investigations aim stifle speech and chill the questioning of those in power. They\u2019re an acute danger to nonprofit organizations that Americans rely on for critical information. That\u2019s why 17 nonprofit organizations, led by The Intercept\u2019s Press Freedom Defense Fund, filed an amicus brief<\/a> urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The brief, authored by Albert Sellars LLP<\/a>, asks the appellate court to uphold a preliminary injunction to protect Media Matters\u2019 speech rights.<\/p>\n Media Matters is a media watchdog. In 2023, it published an article detailing how advertising from companies like Apple and IBM appeared next to pro-Nazi and other antisemitic content on X. The platform\u2019s owner, Elon Musk, responded with what he called a \u201cthermonuclear lawsuit<\/a>\u201d against Media Matters, alleging the nonprofit systematically manipulated X to defame his company.<\/p>\n White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller called on \u201cconservative state Attorneys General<\/a>\u201d to investigate; Missouri and Texas<\/a> did just that. Then the FTC followed suit seeking details concerning Media Matters\u2019 reporting, communications with third parties, and six years of its financial information, potentially including donors.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The FTC\u2019s intent was clear. Chair Andrew Ferguson<\/a> vowed to target \u201cthe radical left<\/a>\u201d and \u201cprogressives.\u201d The District of Columbia federal district court concluded that the FTC\u2019s investigation was \u201c\u201ca straightforward First Amendment violation<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n This tactic of retaliatory investigation has been mirrored by other federal agencies, particularly the Department of Justice as it targets hospitals providing gender-affirming care, and the Federal Communications Commission as its tries to quiet media organizations<\/a>.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s just one way the Trump administration attacks speech rights.<\/p>\n