*

Cruz likens Carr's threats to Mafia tactics from

'Goodfellas'

*

Schumer calls for Carr's resignation over free speech

concerns

*

Trump praises Kimmel's suspension, criticizes networks for

negative coverage

(Recasts with comments by U.S. Senator Cruz)

By David Shepardson and Jonathan Allen

WASHINGTON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Ted Cruz,

the Republican who leads oversight of the Federal Communications

Commission, joined Democrats on Friday in criticizing FCC Chair

Brendan Carr's recent threats against Disney ( DIS ) and local

broadcasters for airing "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

The conservative senator from Texas, one of the most

powerful Republicans in Congress, said Carr's threat to fine

broadcasters or pull their licenses over the content of their

shows was dangerous.

"I got to say that's right out of 'Goodfellas'," Cruz said,

evoking the Martin Scorsese gangster movie. "That's right out of

a mafioso coming into a bar going, 'Nice bar you have here. It

would be a shame if something happened to it'."

The senator's remarks are a rare example of a prominent

member of President Donald Trump's own party publicly

criticizing the actions of the administration, highlighting the

deep concerns over free-speech rights and Trump's threatened

crackdowns.

KIMMEL SUSPENSION FOLLOWS CARR'S THREATS

ABC, the television network owned by Disney ( DIS ), suspended Jimmy

Kimmel's late-night talk show after Carr threatened

investigations and regulatory action against licensed

broadcasters who aired Kimmel. The owners of dozens of local TV

stations affiliated with ABC said they would no longer carry the

show. Trump, who appointed Carr, has cheered the decision.

The suspension followed Kimmel's opening monologue on

Monday's show where he discussed the murder of right-wing

activist Charlie Kirk, a friend and political ally of the

president. Conservative activists were angered by Kimmel's

comments that they were using the assassination to score

"political points" and his suggestion that the killer may also

have been a conservative. Kimmel also joked about how Trump

responded to the killing.

Prominent Democrats and civil rights groups condemned the

Trump administration's pressure to punish Kimmel and others who

speak negatively of the president.

Cruz, chair of the Senate's commerce oversight committee,

joined the criticism on the Friday episode of his podcast,

saying Carr's comments were "dangerous as hell."

The senator, a former constitutional lawyer, then adopted a

broad mafioso accent to quote Carr's comments about broadcasters

this week: "We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the

hard way."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat who

infrequently agrees with Cruz, has called on Carr to resign or

for Trump to fire him. Schumer called Carr "one of the single

greatest threats to free speech America has ever known." Some

Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Friday

asked the FCC's inspector general to investigate Carr's actions

and comments.

Carr and the FCC did not respond to requests for comment,

but Carr said earlier this week he is "not going anywhere" and

vowed to continue his work taking on media firms and defending

the "public interest."

TRUMP CELEBRATES COMEDIAN'S DOWNFALL

Trump, a former successful TV host himself, spoke several

times during a state visit to Britain this week to commend

Kimmel's suspension, calling the Los Angeles comedian untalented

and denouncing him for saying "a horrible thing about a great

gentleman known as Charlie Kirk."

In Monday's monologue, Kimmel, who frequently lampoons

Trump, also mocked Trump for turning a question about his grief

for Kirk into a cheerful promotion for his planned White House

ballroom.

"This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he

called a friend," Kimmel said. "This is how a 4-year-old mourns

a goldfish."

Kimmel has not publicly commented since his suspension, and

the future of his show remains unclear.

Trump also complained to reporters as he flew back to the

U.S. that television networks "were 97% against me" and only

gave him bad publicity.

"I would think maybe their license should be taken away,"

Trump said. Federal law prohibits the FCC from revoking a

broadcaster's license for negative coverage or other speech

disliked by the government.

Cruz said on his podcast that he had been mocked by Kimmel

on air "so many times I cannot count" and that he hated Kimmel's

comments about Kirk. He said he was thrilled that Kimmel's show

had gone dark, but not that it resulted from government

pressure.

"We shouldn't be threatening government power to force him

off air," Cruz said. "It might feel good right now to threaten

Jimmy Kimmel, but when it is used to silence every conservative

in America, we will regret it."