OPINION:
For decades, Sen. Mitch McConnell has been a towering figure in Kentucky and Washington. His greatest accomplishment is reshaping the federal judiciary. No other person in a century deserves more credit for restoring our courts to serve the interests of all Americans in the manner envisioned by our nation’s Founders. It is a legacy that will endure for generations.
It includes securing the appointments of judicial heavyweights such as Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, empowering federal regulators such as former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, and mentoring rising stars such as current Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman and the man who previously held the position, Daniel Cameron.
Together, these efforts have fortified a constitutionalist foundation rooted in limited government and the rule of law.
You wouldn’t know any of this from listening to National Public Radio or watching the Public Broadcasting Service.
These taxpayer-funded mouthpieces for the political left have relentlessly smeared Mr. McConnell’s achievements and painted his principled actions as cynical power plays. As Mr. McConnell nears the twilight of his Senate career, he should seize the opportunity to protect that legacy by supporting H.R. 4, a bill to rescind $1.1 billion in federal funding from NPR and PBS, which have used public dollars to wage war on conservatives, including Mr. McConnell.
Mr. McConnell’s role in the judiciary is nothing short of historic. His bold move in 2016 to hold open the Supreme Court seat vacated by Justice Antonin Scalia led directly to the confirmation of Justice Gorsuch, who later authored the pivotal decision overturning the Chevron Doctrine. That was a victory for constitutional limits on bureaucratic overreach.
Working closely with President Trump and the Federalist Society, Mr. McConnell helped confirm more than 200 federal judges, including three Supreme Court justices. These aren’t partisan wins; they’re constitutional victories.
PBS, of course, responded with smears. Its 2020 “Frontline” documentary “Supreme Revenge: Battle for the Court” was a textbook example of leftist spin: ominous music, dramatic black-and-white footage and breathless commentary all designed to paint Mr. McConnell as a conniving villain.
The film called Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation a “rush job,” conveniently ignoring the Senate’s constitutional authority and long-standing rules that Mr. McConnell followed to the letter.
Now, compare that with PBS’s treatment of Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer.
“PBS NewsHour” anchor Geoff Bennett gave Mr. Schumer a glowing, 13-minute softball interview on March 19, urging him to be “tactically ruthless” against Mr. Trump’s judicial nominees. No ominous music. No dramatic edits. When Mr. Schumer stood on the steps of the Supreme Court in 2020 and warned Justices Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh that they would “pay the price” for future rulings, NPR and PBS yawned. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. condemned the comments as dangerous, while NPR and PBS did not.
The double standard is as plain as day. When Mr. McConnell did his job well and protected his constituents against the worst judicial nominees offered by Presidents Obama and Biden, NPR and PBS characterized his work as a constitutional crisis. When Mr. Schumer threatens sitting justices, he deserves a gold medal.
Mr. McConnell’s influence also reshaped federal regulatory agencies. Under his backing, Mr. Pai repealed burdensome net neutrality rules, a major victory for free markets and innovation. However, NPR and PBS framed this as a corporate giveaway, parroting far-left talking points while ignoring the economic and constitutional arguments in favor of deregulation.
Mr. McConnell also helped shape Kentucky’s legal landscape by mentoring Messrs. Coleman and Cameron, two attorneys general who took on the Biden administration’s regulatory abuses. You wouldn’t know any of that if you relied on NPR or PBS; they save their praise for liberal attorneys general who toe the leftist line.
The numbers don’t lie.
A 2024 Media Research Center study found that PBS’s coverage of the Republican National Convention was 72% negative, while its coverage of the Democratic convention was 88% positive. Another MRC study found that on “NewsHour,” liberal guests outnumber conservatives by a 4-1 margin.
Meanwhile, an NPR veteran recently revealed that 87 newsroom employees were registered Democrats and zero were Republicans. This is not journalism. It’s Democratic Party messaging, funded by your tax dollars.
NPR’s and PBS’s sustained attacks on Mr. McConnell are more than bias; they betray the public trust. Their congressional mandate demands “strict adherence to objectivity and balance,” but they have flagrantly ignored that standard. In 2018, NPR portrayed Mr. McConnell’s decision to block Merrick Garland’s nomination as a “power move.” They ignored the constitutional legitimacy of his decision while treating Mr. Schumer’s power plays as noble resistance.
Now, with retirement approaching, Mr. McConnell has a final opportunity to finish the job. H.R. 4 would claw back more than $1 billion from NPR and PBS. Keep in mind that this money comes from taxpayers and was appropriated at Mr. Biden’s request. For what? To push a radical left agenda. From celebrating drag queens on children’s programming to downplaying conservative judicial victories, these two outlets have become state-funded propaganda machines.
Mr. McConnell’s legacy is secure in the courts, in the agencies and in Kentucky, but he should take one more step to protect that legacy. Pass H.R. 4. Defund NPR and PBS, and end the left’s taxpayer-funded assault on truth.
• Dan Schneider is vice president of the Media Research Center.
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