Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) questioned Gigi Sohn, one of President Joe Biden’s nominees to lead the Federal Communications Commission, over her criticisms of Fox News at a hearing on Wednesday.

Sohn, a distinguished fellow a Georgetown Law who previously served as an aide to the FCC chairman in 2015, has taken fire from Republican lawmakers who have accused her of partisan bias.

Critics have pointed to her partisan tweets, including a 2018 tweet in which she questioned whether Sinclair Broadcast Group should have a broadcast license, and another from 2020 in which she called Fox News “state-sponsored propaganda.”

“So I’ve got a list of comments here about Fox News,” Blunt asked at Sohn’s hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee. “Are you biased against them?”

“So you’re referring to my tweets that are now pretty famous,” Sohn replied. “I understand they’re concerning to some. And anyone who knows me knows I’m pretty direct. But they were made in my role as a public interest advocate.”

“They were made in the context — and I think context is very important — context of hearings, hearings and media reports,” she continued. “Maybe the tone was a little sharper. Maybe I should have dulled it a little bit. But again, it was part of my job, essentially, as a public interest advocate.”

“Do you think they’re the only news agency that is ‘state-sponsored propaganda?'” Blunt followed up, referring to her 2020 tweet. “That’s your quote, by the way.”

“I know it’s my quote, yeah,” Sohn said, laughing. “I just wanted just to complete my thought. My opinions as a public interest advocate will have no bearing on how I behave as a policymaker if I’m confirmed.”

“I’ve been in government before and the values that are important to being a policymaker — responsiveness, transparency, integrity — that’s what you’ll get from me if I’m confirmed,” she continued. “So yes, I said some things, maybe too sharp, but they will have absolutely no determination in how I would rule on a proceeding with any of those companies.”

Just before Blunt asked about Fox News, Sohn defended herself against charges she is biased.

“I take very seriously allegations of bias, and I’ve been working very closely with the Office of Government Ethics to make sure that I have no conflicts and I have no predetermined biases,” she said. “As a policymaker, if I’m confirmed, I have to set my biases — even if I had a bias — I have to set those aside, look at the totality of the record, look at the law, confer with my colleagues, confer with staff, confer with all of you and make a decision.”

Watch above, via C-Span.

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