(The Lion) — A San Francisco radio station supported by leftist financier George Soros is under investigation for disclosing the live locations of undercover Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducting deportation operations.
The investigation was announced this week by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr.
Under the Biden-Harris administration – and prior to the 2024 presidential election – the FCC quickly approved Soros’ acquisition of a stake in Audacy, Inc., with its 200 bankrupt radio stations, one of which was KCBS 740 AM in the Bay area.
During the Jan. 26 edition of KCBS Radio Weekend News, Media Research Center’s Newsbusters reported that the station’s news anchor, Bret Burkhart, provided listeners with detailed descriptions of the locations of the ICE agents and descriptions of their vehicles, as they were “carrying out an operation on the east side of town.”
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan “says the city’s police department does not assist with or participate in these operations in any way.”
“The Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network, which is a community defense projecting system for immigrant communities against deportation threats, it first reported the activity on its platforms,” the news anchor told listeners.
“Stay with KCBS – we’ll be tracking it for you,” Burkhart concluded the broadcast.
“The information put the law enforcement officers at serious risk while an operation was ongoing targeting violent, criminal foreign nationals,” wrote Andy Ngo, senior editor at The Post Millennial.
The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau has now addressed the radio station in a formal Letter of Inquiry, as reported by Fox News. In the communication, the bureau questioned whether the station is actually operating in the “public interest,” as is required per the terms of its FCC license.
According to the Fox News report, the Enforcement Bureau stressed to the radio station the dangerous work engaged in by ICE agents in an area with a high level of violent gang activity.
“I want to express my thanks and appreciation to DHS and ICE agents,” Carr told Fox News. “These law enforcement professionals are honorably serving this country and carrying out vital missions. Their safety is paramount. The FCC will hold broadcasters accountable for complying with their public interest obligations.”
Carr also delivered the same message on Wednesday in a post to X:
As The Lion previously reported, in April 2024, Republican U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas referred to the fast-tracked deal that allowed Soros to acquire Audacy as the “Soros shortcut.”
As one of two Republican FCC board members at the time, Carr was outspoken over his criticism of the deal and warned:
“I think what’s interesting about it is that the FCC is not following its normal process for reviewing transactions that it has established over a number of years. It seems to me the FCC is poised, for the first time, to create an entirely new shortcut.”
President Donald Trump tapped Carr to lead the FCC soon after the election, describing him as “a warrior for Free Speech who has “fought against the regulatory Lawfare that has stifled Americans’ Freedoms, and held back our Economy.”
Carr “will end the regulatory onslaught that has been crippling America’s Job Creators and Innovators, and ensure that the FCC delivers for rural America,” Trump wrote.
