{"id":120903,"date":"2021-09-04T00:21:17","date_gmt":"2021-09-04T00:21:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/?p=120903"},"modified":"2021-09-04T00:21:17","modified_gmt":"2021-09-04T00:21:17","slug":"the-fcc-commissioner-echoing-kevin-mccarthy-is-married-to-mccarthys-counsel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/politics\/the-fcc-commissioner-echoing-kevin-mccarthy-is-married-to-mccarthys-counsel\/","title":{"rendered":"The FCC Commissioner Echoing Kevin McCarthy Is Married To McCarthy\u2019s Counsel"},"content":{"rendered":"
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) threatened this week\u00a0to retaliate against telecom and tech companies\u00a0that comply with a House committee\u2019s request to preserve call records for certain people connected to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. McCarthy<\/span>\u00a0also warned \u2015 incorrectly, according to legal experts \u2015\u00a0that preserving such records would be illegal.<\/p>\n One of the lone voices publicly defending McCarthy\u2019s dubious claim is Federal Communications Commission member Brendan Carr, who has oversight over telecom companies.<\/p>\n But neither Carr nor McCarthy have mentioned their clear conflict of interest as they echo each other\u2019s arguments: Carr is married to McCarthy\u2019s general counsel, Machalagh Carr.<\/p>\n She has been McCarthy\u2019s general counsel since March 2019, per her account on Legistorm, a database of biographical information on Capitol Hill staffers. And as the GOP leader\u2019s counsel, she almost certainly had a hand in crafting a statement by McCarthy on Tuesday claiming that the telecom companies would be engaging in illegal behavior \u2015 the same claim her husband has echoed in his capacity as an FCC commissioner.<\/p>\n Companies that comply with the House committee\u2019s request \u201care in violation of federal law and subject to losing their ability to operate in the United States,\u201d McCarthy <\/span>tweeted Tuesday<\/span>.\u00a0\u201cIf companies still choose to violate a federal law, a Republican majority will not forget and will stand with Americans to hold them fully accountable under the law,\u201d he threatened.<\/span><\/p>\n McCarthy didn\u2019t cite any statute supporting his contention that this is illegal. In fact, several experts have said it is perfectly legal for Congress to ask companies to preserve records of calls and that\u00a0they don\u2019t know what McCarthy is talking about.\u00a0<\/span>The House committee didn\u2019t ask for call logs to be turned over, either; it asked companies to avoid destroying records in the event there are future subpoenas for them.<\/span><\/p>\n Still, on Thursday, McCarthy pressed on with his legal claim. He <\/span>retweeted a Wall Street Journal editorial board piece<\/span> featuring comments from Brendan Carr backing up his argument.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cF<\/span>ederal law requires telecommunications carriers to protect the privacy and confidentiality of Americans\u2019 call records,\u201d the FCC commissioner said, warning that his agency \u201chas brought enforcement actions against carriers to ensure their compliance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Brendan Carr <\/span>also tweeted out<\/span> the Wall Street Journal piece, adding, \u201cThe claim that a single Member of Congress has unchecked power to secretly obtain the private data of any and all Americans they choose is as sweeping as it is chilling. Thankfully, that claim is wrong.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Not only does it appear that Brendan Carr is using his position to protect his wife\u2019s boss, but the fact that he\u2019s echoing the GOP leader\u2019s claims in his role as an FCC commissioner could certainly be seen as an effort to intimidate telecom companies \u2015 the same ones he has oversight over \u2015 from complying with the House committee\u2019s request.<\/span><\/p>\n Carr did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why he did not disclose his direct connection to McCarthy\u2019s office.<\/span><\/p>\n McCarthy\u2019s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment.<\/p>\n