In yet another blatant display of disregard for the rules, Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on Saturday Night Live (SNL) just days before Election Day. This should have been an immediate violation of the FCC’s Equal Time rule, which mandates that all legally qualified candidates be given comparable airtime when one is featured on a network. But Harris and her team knew full well that this wasn’t going to happen. Why? Because the Democratic-controlled FCC was never going to enforce it. The Biden administration and Harris’s campaign made a calculated move, secure in the knowledge that they could break the rules without consequence.
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, a Republican and one of the few dissenting voices on the five-member commission, didn’t let this slide quietly. Carr called out the “clear and blatant” violation, pointing out that the law was designed specifically to prevent biased conduct like this. According to Carr, NBC’s move was a prime example of using the public airwaves to influence the public in favor of a single candidate. But Carr’s voice is only one of five at the FCC—and with three seats held by Democrats, including Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, who was appointed by President Biden, it’s clear that this move will be swept under the rug.
Calculated Lawlessness: Harris, NBC, and the Democratic Playbook
Let’s be clear: the Democrats knew exactly what they were doing by placing Harris on the SNL stage so close to Election Day. The Equal Time rule is supposed to prevent exactly this sort of manipulation. But the Harris team understood that there wouldn’t be any meaningful repercussions for breaking the rule. They knew that if the FCC was pushed to respond, the Democrat-majority commission could simply ignore it or brush it aside as a technicality.
Even though Carr voiced his outrage, pointing out that the FCC’s own policies demand “comparable time and placement” for other candidates, his words will likely go unheard. With a Democratic majority at the FCC, the Biden administration and the Harris campaign knew they could operate with impunity, facing no accountability for their actions. They’ve gamed the system perfectly: a Democratic appointee chairs the FCC, and three of the five commissioners are Democrats. In other words, the rules only matter when they don’t get in the way of the left’s agenda.
Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel: The Gatekeeper of the FCC’s Agenda
The structure of the FCC makes it difficult for Carr or any other Republican to take meaningful action here. Commissioners are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, with a three-member majority allowed for the sitting President’s party. This allows the chair to set the FCC’s priorities, which influences which issues are taken seriously and which are conveniently ignored. Rosenworcel, as the current chairwoman and a Biden appointee, controls the agenda and has the power to bury Carr’s concerns if she so chooses. This isn’t a regulatory slip-up—it’s a calculated decision to let Harris’s SNL appearance slide.
So, while Carr took to X (formerly Twitter) to call out NBC’s transparent disregard for the rules, the Democratic majority can brush his protests aside without lifting a finger. For Harris and her campaign, this is all part of the plan. They don’t need to worry about consequences when they know the FCC is under their thumb.
Equal Time Rule? Only If You’re Not a Democrat
The Equal Time rule, a cornerstone of fair media practice, was created to stop exactly this kind of media bias. The rule stipulates that if a candidate appears on a broadcast, opposing candidates must be offered equal airtime if requested. While SNL has historically offered airtime to candidates from both parties, Harris’s surprise appearance on the show was clearly calculated to avoid giving her opponents any real shot at a similar opportunity. Even the timing was strategic, giving opposing candidates almost no time to request their share of airtime.
And let’s not forget NBC’s own attempts to downplay the situation. They filed a procedural notice acknowledging that Harris’s cameo aired without charge, thus triggering a narrow window for opposing candidates to request equal time. But with just one day before the election, this move was merely a formality, designed to cover their tracks while ensuring no real consequences.
Lawlessness at the Top: The Biden-Harris Playbook
The Harris SNL appearance is more than just a skit; it’s a microcosm of the current administration’s attitude toward the rule of law. Knowing full well that they wouldn’t face repercussions, Harris’s team leveraged a public platform for political gain, skirting regulations with the confidence that nothing would come of it. For them, laws and rules are mere suggestions, not obligations. They know that as long as they hold the power, any violations will be quietly ignored.
Carr’s Limited Power to Act
If you’re wondering why Carr isn’t doing more, here’s the catch: although Brendan Carr is an FCC commissioner, he’s one of only two Republicans on the five-member commission, where three seats—including the chair—are held by Democrats. Commissioners are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, with no more than three allowed from the same political party. This structure often tilts the FCC’s decisions in favor of the sitting President’s party. Currently, the commission is chaired by Jessica Rosenworcel, a Biden appointee who has the authority to set the FCC’s agenda and prioritize issues, which shapes how regulations like the Equal Time rule are enforced. While Carr can publicly raise concerns about NBC’s actions regarding Harris’s SNL appearance, he doesn’t have the power to take formal action on his own. For the FCC to address this issue formally, Carr would need support from other commissioners or an official complaint from a rival campaign. Without that support, Harris’s cameo is likely to go unchecked, providing yet another example of selective rule enforcement that conveniently favors the left.
Final Thoughts
In a calculated move, Kamala Harris and her team leveraged NBC’s platform to sway public opinion just before Election Day. They knew that the FCC, under Democratic control, would do nothing about it. This administration continues to prove that laws are meaningless when you’re on the “right” side of the aisle. Harris’s SNL appearance is yet another reminder of how the left plays by its own rules, secure in the knowledge that no one will hold them accountable.
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